Ex-Aid Online
by Jinova108
Summary: When the threat of the Bugsters threatens every AR game in existence, heroes must rise. Will Kirito, Asuna, and the others join forces with the Kamen Riders to exterminate them, or will the virus overrun them all?
1. Fated Encounter

Chapter 1: Fated Encounter

It was a black and peaceful night. Cars were strolling by the streets, people are walking by, minding their ow businesses.

On top of a giant building, a young man is playing on his mobile gaming device.

"Heh…" He sighed. "It's such a shame that game like these always end…"

He beats the boss, and the screen shows a Level Clear. He put the device away, and looked up to the sky.

"Such beauty…" He sighed. "I wonder how I will solve your puzzle?"

 **I've gotta believe!**

(A circle camera shot of Kirito and Asuna, back to back, looking around, as the world pixelates and revealing the title)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(The SAO gang talking together)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far**

(The floor suddenly crash and all of them fall, their bodies pixelating into their SAO avatars. They slowly get up, looking around the pitch blackness)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The world shatters into color and the Riders walk up to them)

 **The new beginning**

(Each Rider show their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The SAO gang prepare to fight as the Riders go into Level 1)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The Riders go Level 2)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(The Gamer Driver lever turns)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid VS Kirito and Asuna)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Brave VS Silica and Lisbeth, Snipe VS Sinon and Leafa)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(In an explosion, Lazer tears by with Ex-Aid riding)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Ex-Aid (on top of Lazer in Bike mode), Brave, Snipe, prepare for battle with Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon respectively, and the SAO gang take back seat, despite posing for them too.)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Graphite and Genmu also get into a battle stance)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Graphite VS the SAO gang)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid & other Riders VS Genmu)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Sinon (GGO) and Snipe raising their guns to their faces)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Asuna and Brave clashing swords)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Kirito & Ex-Aid run towards each other as the title appears once more)

"Alright, guys!" Kirito shouted. "We almost got it!"

The gang are currently fighting a monster in the ARMMORPG game of Alfheim Online. It was the size of tree, but it was rather resilient. It had been able to live through a barrage of assaults of the gang.

"Okay, then!" Klein smiled. "Try this on for size!"

He drew his sword, and with a war cry, he slashed straight through the monster, shattering it instantly.

"Score one for Klein!" He shouted.

"Alright, no need to brag." Lisbeth shrugged.

They later returned to Liz's shop, and there rested up.

"Did we get anything?" Kirito asked.

"Nah. It's just the typical stuff." Asuna replied. "Meat, scales, and all that."

"Aw…" Silica sighed. "And I thought we hit the jackpot this time…"

Sinon wasn't paying attention. By the looks of things, she appeared to be reading something.

"Sinon?" Kirito asked.

"Huh?" She snapped.

"What are you doing?" Kirito asked. "You're spacing out."

"Sorry." Sinon said. "I was reading an article on this. Well, now that I mention, it would be better if everyone read it."

She scrolled down her menu, and sent a mail to everyone containing the said article.

"What is this?" Liz asked.

"It was an article about ALO." Sinon explained. "There are a plenty of information about the game here, but the troubling part is the third paragraph."

When she mentioned that, everyone rolled over to the third paragraph and read it.

 _Over the course of these past two years of gameplay, it is safe to say that this VRMMORPG is not as tragic as the Sword Art Online incident. However, there was this group of players that are now playing ALO. But they aren't your average players. They have survived the monstrosity that is Sword Art Online, and have grown as such. I have seen how they play. I'm surprised the game servers haven't been trying to shut them out just due to the sheer overpower they represent to the rest of the players who are enjoying the game. But, once you gloss over them, the mechanics and graphics of the game will be candy to your eyes._

"What is this?" Klein asked. "Is this talking about us?"

"Who else would it be talking about?" Leafa frowned.

"Who wrote this?" Kirito asked.

Sinon looked it up quickly. "It's a reporter named Emu Hojo." She said.

"Wait! I know him!" Leafa yelled. "I follow him on Twitter!"

"What can you tell us?" Asuna asked.

"He was a guest speaker to some of the guys in the TV program at school." Leafa explained. "He gave us his blog site and Twitter, and I'm been following him since."

"Does he give out where he'll be?" Kirito asked coldly.

"Well…" Leafa wondered. "I'll have to check."

"We're going have to log off then, huh?" Klein suggested.

"That would be for the best case." Sinon added. "We'll meet up, Leafa will find thei Emu guy's next location, and we'll converge there."

"It's settled." Kirito concluded. "We'll meet at my place. See you on the other side."

Everyone agreed, and one by one they logged out of ALO and back into the real world.

Kazuto Kirigaya woke up on his bed. He took of his gear and walked over to Suguha's room.

"Anything?" He asked.

"Nothing." Sugu sighed. "All I got was this picture of this cup of latte he posted 5 minutes ago."

She showed him the picture. The latte was there, but Kazuto recognized it.

"I know that latte." He said. "That's one of Agil's best sellers!"

"Should we head over there then?" Sugu asked.

"No, let's wait for everyone first." Kazuto said.

After a bit of waiting, everyone came. Asuna had arrived first, followed by Shino (Sinon), Keiko (Silica), Rika (Lisbeth), and Ryotaro (Klein). They explained that Emu is currently at Agil's café, and they'll meet him there.

They hurried over and are now in front of the café.

"Let's find this guy." Klein said, cracking his neck.

They opened the door and found the place just as quiet as it always was. Everyone looked around, until Agil greeted them.

"Yo, what's up, guys?" He smiled.

"Hey, man." Klein shrugged.

"There he is!" Suguha shouted, pointing somewhere.

There, by the window, sat a young man with a cup of the same latte that Suguha had shown the picture of. He was dressed in red pants with sneakers, and a yellow gaming shirt and a white hoodie. He was currently writing something in his notebook. This is Emu Hojo.

"Um… Excuse me?" asked a voice.

Emu turned and saw Suguha in front of him.

"Oh." He said. "Aren't you from that class I guest-spoke for?"

"Yes." Suguha answered. "I've been reading a lot of articles you've written over the past couple of weeks, and I have a question."

"Sorry. No question about my sources." Emu stated. "A reporter's secret is a secret to him and him alone."

"I don't have to beat the answer out of you, do I?" asked another voice.

Emu and Suguha turned and saw Kazuto and everyone else. Kazuto had an emotionless face, while everyone else was pouting.

"Can I… help you?" Emu asked.

"Kazuto!" Suguha shot. "Be polite!"

Kazuto just ignored her. He walked over to Emu.

"Look, I don't know how you knew all about the SAO things you wrote." He commented coldly. "But there are people who respect their privacy."

Emu didn't look intimidated.

"Look." He began. "As long as I can put pen to paper, I'll write the truth."

"I'm sorry if my article took shots at you." Emu continued. "But I'm just doing my job here."

"Well, your 'job' doesn't mean stick your nose in everywhere." Kazuto retorted.

"Actually it does-" Klein began.

"Not now, man!" Kazuto shouted back.

Agil saw what was going. He walked over and cooled the tension down.

"Hey, hey, hey." He said. "You bros gonna fight, take it somewhere else okay? I just paid the bill for this place."

Kazuto breathed in, and pulled back. "You play ALO?" He asked.

"Yes?" Emu answered uncertainly.

"Meet us by the big tree outside Sylvain." He stated. "I'll be waiting."

And with that, the gang left the café. Agil just looked confused.

"Don't worry. They're usually a lot nicer than this." He assured.

Emu just stood up, packed up, and paid Agil. He then walked out of the café and smiled.

"Leave gaming to me…" He whispered happily.


	2. I'm a Kamen Rider!

Chapter 2: I'm a Kamen Rider!

Kirito is now leaning against the tree. Lisbeth and Silica are playing with Pina, Klein was taking a nap, Leafa and Sinon were talking, and Asuna was right by Kirito's side.

"Are you sure about his?" She asked.

"I'm sure." Kirito replied.

"But why a battle though?" Asuna asked again.

"I don't know. I just think it's just a man's code to fight it out." Kirito remarked.

Asuna pouted at this answer and playfully punched his arm. Klein woke up and saw a figure in the blinding sunlight of the ALO.

"He's here!" He shouted.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and made room. A Salamander landed on the ground. He looked just like Emu.

"Didn't think you'd show up." Kirito remarked.

"Well, I kept my promise." The Salamander said. "What are we doing?"

"We're dueling." Kirito answered.

Klein and everyone else cleared out some space. Kirito and the Salamander now stood a foot apart from each other.

"So, does anything go?" He asked.

"Yup." Kirito replied. "You could use whatever you want. But, let's fight on the ground. Jumping will suffice, but no flying."

Kirito was about to scroll down his menu, but he was stopped by the Salamander.

"Hey, can I send the battle request?" He asked.

Kirito was puzzled. But he let him do it. The Salamander quickly scrolled down his menu and sent Kirito a battle request. Kirito read it, and made sure of his name.

'Ex-Aid, huh?' He thought.

Kirito accepted the battle request, and drew his sword as the timer began. The Salamander, whose name is now Ex-Aid, just stood there though.

"Can you hold on for a short second after the timer goes?" He asked.

Kirito looked puzzled, but he shrugged it off. The timer ended, and Kirito put his sword down.

"Alright. What do you need to do?" He asked.

Ex-Aid rolled into his item scroll, and summoned two items. One appeared to be a belt, while the other was a gaming cartridge. He put the belt around him. The gang looked confused and surprised. Then, Ex-Aid pressed the button on the cartridge.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Suddenly, a video game title screen appeared behind Ex-Aid, and spewed out brown blocks, which placed themselves around the battlefield.

"Wait, that's Mighty Action X!" Lisbeth shouted.

"You know this game, Liz?" Asuna asked.

"Yeah! My cousin loves it." Lisbeth explained. "It's a side-scroll 2D game that beats monster and stuff like that!"

Ex-Aid then posed. It was rather dramatic to Kirito's taste, but he had to dismiss it for this guy's antics.

"Henshin!" He shouted.

He inserted the cartridge into his belt.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Ex-Aid pressed the selection in front of him as a selection scroll appeared. The figure that used to Ex-Aid was now replaced by a giant chibi figure. It didn't look so threatening.

"So cute!" Lisbeth squealed.

"I want to hug it!" Silica squealed.

"Come at me!" Ex-Aid taunted.

Kirito raised his sword, and scoffed. And, with one rustle of the tree, Kirito charged. He swung his sword in every omnidirectional area he could find, and he was giving out good hits, but Ex-Aid's health bar only lowered by tiny increments. In addition, Ex-Aid was also jumping around all over the place. He was using the blocks summoned to jump around the field.

"Come om!" Kirito shouted. "Time you should start fighting!"

Ex-Aid and Kirito landed back on the ground. Kirito was panting slowly, as he used up half of his energy on all those attacks.

"I guess you're right, Kirito." Ex-Aid laughed. "Time to level up!"

"Level up?" Kirito asked.

"Yeah." Ex-Aid said. "This is only Level 1. It's Level 2 time!"

Kirito tightened the grip on his swords. If this was Level 1, just how powerful is Level 2?

"Witness the play of the Genius Gamer M!" Ex-Aid declared.

Leafa froze at the statement.

"M…?" She whispered. "That's… him?"

Ex-Aid did a little pose. He put his hand on the lever of the belt.

"Dai Henshin!" He shouted, pulling the lever.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

The chibi figure's arms and legs popped off. The face remained in the air for a split second, and limbs spewed out from behind. A head popped out next. And with one more pose, the figure landed on the ground with a superhero-landing.

"Wait, what?!" Kirito exclaimed.

Ex-Aid rubbed his hands together, as a weapon finally appeared in his hand.

 **GASHACON BREAKER!**

A hammer with two giant A and B buttons materialized into his hands. He swung it around, and got into a battle stance.

"I'll clear this game with no continues!" He said energetically.

Kirito smiled, and attacked. He first swung at his legs, to which Ex-Aid dodged it with a swift jump, and bonking him on the head. Kirito got disoriented, which in the short timeframe, Ex-Aid pressed the A button.

 **JA-KIIIN!**

The hammer threw up a sword blade on top of itself, and Ex-Aid took the chance to slash Kirito across the back. The cut a huge chunk of Kirito's HP.

"Why you little-" Kirito started, once he got himself together.

He slashed behind him, only to find Ex-Aid on top of one of the blocks. He smashed the block, revealing a coin.

"Item: Get!" Ex-Aid announced. "Speed: Up!"

Kirito jumped for a straight hit. Ex-Aid moved with enough speed to avoid that attack. Kirito kept on swinging, but Ex-Aid dodged them all superbly. They landed back on the ground, but Kirito is now panting heavily.

"Aw, you tuckered out already?" Ex-Aid wined. "I'm only at Level 2!"

Kirito smiled. "I'm just getting started."

"Alright, now you're talking!" Ex-Aid smiled. He pulled the cartridge out of his belt and inserted into another compartment on the side of the belt. He then pressed the button just below it.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Ex-Aid got into kicking stance. He was ready to use his final move. Kirito prepared himself. He knew a kick was coming. He had to block it if he had to win it by a small window. Ex-Aid jumped into the air. There he stuck his leg out and dived down to Kirito. Kirito smiled.

"You're wide open!" He shouted.

Then, his sword glowed and smashed his sword against the kick. And explosion engulfed the two. The impact sent shockwaves of wind against the spectators.

"Did he get him?" Silica asked.

The smoke cleared, and Kirito smiled. He blocked an attack. But when the smoke on Ex-Aid's end cleared, he had blocked it, and Ex-Aid had received recoil damage, but it seems nothing happened. His leg was just on Kirito's sword.

"Gotcha!" Ex-Aid suddenly shouted.

"Eh?" Kirito exclaimed.

Ex-Aid made no haste and pressed the same button.

 **MIGHTY CRTICAL STRIKE!**

Then, using the sword as a launch pad, Ex-Aid did a flip off the sword and kicked the sword out of the way. And one more time, he flipped off the sword and kicked Kirito in the face, and finally using his head, he flipped one more time and landed the kick straight onto Kirito's abdomen. What followed afterwards was an explosion. Out of the explosion, Ex-Aid jumped out and landed behind Kirito, who fell on to the ground. The game now set the winner.

 **Winner: Ex-Aid**

Ex-Aid sighed with relief, and turned back to Kirito.

"Looks like I won." He chuckled.

Kirito rubbed his head. He was beaten by someone he didn't even knew? That's a first. Asuna quickly rushed over while everyone else took this in.

"Kirito… lost?" Silica commented.

"Well, it was bound to happen at some point." Lisbeth shrugged.

Ex-Aid walked over, cancelling his transformation.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Emu hoisted his hand to Kirito.

"That was fun, kid." He smiled. "Let's do this again sometime."

Kirito smiled. He took his hand and stood up. Despite all those things he wrote, he is a good guy in heart.

"So, are we done here?" Emu asked. "Cause… I have an interview I need to get to in about an hour, so…"

"Yeah." Kirito laughed. "See you around man."

Emu said goodbye and logged off. Kirito and Asuna both were happy, they now made a new friend.

"Guess I was wrong." Kirito admitted. "Ain't that a first time?"

Asuna laughed, and wrapped her arms around him. But Leafa hasn't said anything in a while.

"Leafa, you okay?" Lisbeth asked.

"Huh?" Leafa said, snapping back into reality. "Oh yeah. I'm fine."

"Well…" Asuna spoke up. "Guess we should call it a day."

"Yes." Silica replied. "I have to look after Pina. My cat Pina, of course."

"We have other stuff to do too." Lisbeth added.

"Alright then." Kirito concluded. "See you guys at school tomorrow!"

It was now 7:00 P.M. The Kirigaya household is currently having dinner. Kazuto was enjoying the meal, but Suguha was just nibbling her food away.

"Hey, Sugu." Kazuto called. "You okay? You've been uncharacteristically quiet lately."

"Well…" Suguha began. "Something about Emu threw me off."

"What about him?" Kazuto asked.

"It's just… he said this:" Suguha explained.

" _Witness the play of the Genius Gamer M!" Ex-Aid declared._

"You don't think that's… him, do you?" Suguha asked timidly.

There was this famous celebrity that went missing last year. He had won many gaming championships. That man was only known as the Genius Gamer M.

"I don't think so…" Kazuto wondered. "Even if that was him, why would he be so open to accept my challenge?"

"I guess you're right…" Suguha answered.

But Kazuto knew Suguha was onto something. If Emu is the Genius Gamer M, there's got to be something bigger. They needed to know what's actually going on.


	3. Game Start!

Chapter 3: Game Start!

ALO's forests were always so peaceful. The air would whistle through the trees, the wild bird mobs will scurry along the sky, everything was calm.

Well, that's only if you don't count the random monsters that spawn left and right. The SAO gang are currently fighting a monster of immense size.

"This guy just doesn't want to die!" Klein shouted.

"Keep at it!" Lisbeth said. "It's bound to fall at some point!"

The gang kept at it, slashing and hacking the monster this way and that. But it took a while. However, Kirito was able to deliver the killing blow. The monster shouted a death rattle, and fell to the ground.

"Well, anything else?" He said smugly.

Lisbeth pouted, and punched him hard.

"Why do you always have to get the last laugh?" She said.

"Hey, at least I killed the thing." Kirito retorted.

"I was hoping to get some of the drops!" She shouted.

"Now, now." Klein interrupted. "At least we killed the thing right?"

Everyone laughed. But they weren't paying attention that the monster still hasn't gone away yet. Sinon was the first to notice this.

"Hey…" She began. "Shouldn't the monster be gone by now?"

Everyone turned back at the monster, seeing how it was still just there.

"Maybe it's lag?" Leafa threw in.

"No." Asuna replied. "No lag would be this slow in a game like this."

Then, the monster began to buzz wildly. Orange blobs started to appear all over its body. And with one final buzz, the monster dissipated into a cloud of the same orange blobs. Silica cowered behind Kirito.

"Um…" She whispered. "What's going on?"

"Not sure…" Kirito muttered. "But whatever it is, it's not a good sign."

The cloud then descended and formed into a humanoid shape. It turned into a nice gentleman with a gauntlet on his left arm and a black top hat.

"Finally! Separated from that insufferable thing!" He shouted.

Everyone drew their swords. Kirito spoke up.

"What's your deal?" He said.

The gentleman turned and saw the gang.

"I am Salty." He announced. "I have dwelled inside that thing for quite some time. Now, all I must do is defeat you, and I shall be complete!"

"Well, it does like to babble." Lisbeth whispered.

"Looks like A.I." Leafa said. "But it doesn't seem so."

"Well, defeating us is out of the question!" Asuna shouted.

Salty observed the players. He saw that they clearly outumber him.

"Let us even the playing field than, hm?" Salty smiled.

He stretched his hand to his side, and a bunch of minions in chef uniforms spawned.

"Guess fighting's the only option, huh?" Kirito whispered.

"Let us make haste! Chefs!" Salty declared, snapping his fingers.

The minions charged towards the players.

"I get to kill first!" Klein yelled.

He quickly slashed at one of the minions, but instead of dying, the minion popped back up.

"Uh…" He uttered. "How do you kill these things again?"

A minion also got closer to Lisbeth, and she smashed its head in, but the head only regenerated.

"I dunno!" She shouted.

And as the other players began to try and diminish the numbers of the minions, Kirito paid attention to Salty.

'Maybe if I defeat him…' he thought.

He jumped into the air. Using the minions' heads as a walkway, he made his way to Salty. Glowing swords in hand, he darted down towards Salty… only for the attack to faze right through him.

"What?" He said.

"My, aren't you a salty fellow?" Salty smiled.

He picked up Kirito, and thrusted him straight into a pack of minions. They tossed him around like a rag doll before throwing him back to the rest of the gang.

"Kirito!" Asuna cried, hurrying over to him.

She helped him up, but by this point, the minions have basically overwhelmed and outnumbered them.

"There's no end to them!" Leafa yelled, punching one out of her face.

"They just keep coming!" Silica shouted, in the air.

In the distance, Salty laughed out loud.

"Oh, such a salty sight!" He said. "To see such mighty warriors fall!"

Kirito gritted his teeth. This was when he was reminded of SAO, and the overwhelming numbers he and Asuna faced in the past.

"So…" He whispered. "This is how it goes, huh?"

"Once my chefs have finished making you salty, I shall be complete!" Salty announced, cackling in victory.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

And on that moment, a pink game field spread out all over the area. Brown 2 by 2 by 2 blocks placed themselves all around, and everyone just looked on in confusion.

"What the-?" Klein began.

Salty only turned and saw a familiar Salamander, holding a gaming cartridge and wearing a belt.

"Ex-Aid…?" Lisbeth whispered.

"My, have you come to become salty as well?" Salty taunted.

Ex-Aid smiled.

"Nah." He said with a smile. "I'm here to clear you right out of the game!"

Ex-Aid posed. It was the same exact pose he did when he fought Kirito, and with a brief pause, he inserted the cartridge into the belt.

"Henshin!" He shouted.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

The figure of Ex-Aid was replaced by the same chibi figure. There was a brief silence before Ex-Aid turned the lever on the belt.

"Dai Henshin!" He shouted.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

The chibi figure jumped into the air. Its arms and legs popped off and spewed out another, slimmer-looking limbs. A head also popped out, before landing back on the ground.

"I'll clear this game with no continues!" He declared.

His weapon wheel appeared around him, and he grabbed his go-to weapon.

 **GASHACON BREAKER!**

Ex-Aid then proceed to attack the minions first. But unlike the SAO players, Ex-Aid was actually able to kill them. But he made it look so easy. For example, some got a hit on the abdomen, and they died instantly. Others would either get bonked on the head or kicked, and with another bonk, they would die immediately. And everytime Ex-Aid would land a hit, a giant "Hit!" would occasionally appear on the target he hit, sometimes an "Amazing!". The players looked on with mouths open with awe and shock.

"You guys seeing this, right?" Klein said.

"Yeah…" Leafa muttered.

"Someone pinch me." Lisbeth said.

And with only a couple of more bonks on the head, all of the minions were defeated.

"First leg: Complete!" Ex-Aid cheered.

That's when Salty just tackled the guy straight from the back.

"You are an insufferable salty man!" He shouted.

Ex-Aid brushed it off, and stood back up.

"You Bugsters are really persistent, aren't ya?" He taunted.

"So SALTY!" Salty yelled.

"Time to close your kitchen!" Ex-Aid retorted.

He pressed the B button on the Gashacon Breaker twice and swung the thing straight up Salty's chin. Then he pressed the A button.

 **JA-KIIN!**

And pulling the gaming cartridge back out, he blew into it, then inserted it into the Gashacon Breaker.

 **GASHUUN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

The Breaker began to glow with cartooney effects and energy. Salty gathered himself up and seethed with anger.

"So SALTY!" He squealed.

Ex-Aid ignored the whining, and prepared for the finisher.

 **MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!**

Salty charged, but Ex-Aid jumped out of the way, and landed behind him. And without a moment to spare, he slashed the back of Salty.

 **KAISHIN NO IMPATSU!**

"Im… Impossible!" Salty shouted. "I… I have become salty!"

And on the lovely note, Salty exploded. Ex-Aid turned around and posed for the camera, pretending there was one.

"Did it!" He smiled.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

Ex-Aid sighed loudly and cancelled his transformation.

 **GACHUNN! GASHUNN!**

Ex-Aid then fell back on his back. Then, from his POV, the SAO Players just stared on from above him.

"Uh…" He began. "Hello?"

"Hey there." Asuna greeted, waving.

"Can I help you?" Ex-Aid asked.

"You have some explaining to do, pal." Kirito replied, smiling evilly.

Within the next 30 minutes, they were now in a pub in Sylvain. Ex-Aid, holding his hands in front of him, was in front of 7 pairs of eyes from the SAO players.

"Well… this is awkward." He commented.

"Start talking, man." Klein began. "What was that thing? That was no simple monster."

"That was…" Ex-Aid began. "No, no, I shouldn't say."

"Come on!" said a voice. "We can trust them!"

Everyone looked around.

"Who was that?" Silica asked.

Then, from one of his Ex-Aid's pocket, a pixie flew out and landed his shoulder.

"Poppy!" Ex-Aid scolded.

"Aw, come on!" She whined. "Do they look like people that would look untrustworthy?"

Ex-Aid carefully observed the SAO players. After a few minutes of silence, Ex-Aid has decided.

"Alright. Guess you have the right to know." Ex-Aid admitted.

Just then, Yui also popped out Kirito's pocket. She flew to Poppy, so she can get information.

"That was known as a Bugster." Ex-Aid explained. "They just started to appear last year. They've been implanted in many AR games. I'm still looking for why it happened so. All you guys need to know is that you can't fight them."

"Is there a way we can?" Kirito asked.

"Well…" Ex-Aid pondered. "Poppy?"

"Okay!" She said cheerfully.

Poppy flew to the SAO player's weapons. She put her hand on each of them, and after getting the last one, she went back to Ex-Aid.

"All done!" Poppy said cheerfully. "Your weapons have been recoded to deal with the Bugsters!"

"Now that's done." Ex-Aid continued. "It is best you stayed out of what we have to do. You would only get in the way."

Poppy flew back into Ex-Aid's pocket, and Ex-Aid begin to log out.

"Wait!" Leafa shouted. "Could you at least tell us who you are?"

Ex-Aid ignored them and just logged off, leaving the SAO players in the dust.

"Man… what a jerk!" Klein whined.

Everyone just looked on what Ex-Aid has just revealed to them. Bugsters have been implanted in other AR games as well? What will they do about this?


	4. Proceeding Procedure

Chapter 4: Proceeding Procedure

 **I've gotta believe!**

(A circle camera shot of Kirito and Asuna, back to back, looking around, as the world pixelates and revealing the title)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(The SAO gang talking together)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far**

(The floor suddenly crash and all of them fall, their bodies pixelating into their SAO avatars. They slowly get up, looking around the pitch blackness)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The world shatters into color and the Riders walk up to them)

 **The new beginning**

(Each Rider show their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The SAO gang prepare to fight as the Riders go into Level 1)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The Riders go Level 2)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(The Gamer Driver lever turns)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid VS Kirito and Asuna)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Brave VS Silica and Lisbeth, Snipe VS Sinon and Leafa)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(In an explosion, Lazer tears by with Ex-Aid riding)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Ex-Aid (on top of Lazer in Bike mode), Brave, Snipe, prepare for battle with Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon respectively, and the SAO gang take back seat, despite posing for them too.)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Graphite and Genmu also get into a battle stance)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Graphite VS the SAO gang)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid & other Riders VS Genmu)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Sinon (GGO) and Snipe raising their guns to their faces)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Asuna and Brave clashing swords)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Kirito & Ex-Aid run towards each other as the title appears once more)

It has been a full week since the players have encountered Ex-Aid. Even in real life, they can't shake the feeling off. They couldn't focus on anything.

They were now just relaxing in Lisbeth's blacksmith shop. They all had something on their minds.

"Well…" Klein spoke up. "This feels weird."

"Yui." Asuna asked. "Did you get anything about the Bugsters?"

Yui popped out of Kirito's pocket, and landed on his head.

"No." She replied. "I've been running everything through, but these Bugster things are entirely new to me."

"This can't be coincidence." Kirito said suddenly. "Some people do have the ability to hack into games like this."

"Yeah, but doesn't that take about like a crazy amount of technical mumbo jumbo?" Lisbeth asked.

"Yeah, but the fact of the matter is that they are still out there." Kirito retorted.

"You think they caused this?" Sinon asked.

"No…" Kirito said. "It's too much to think about it at once."

"Then how about I simplify it?" asked a familiar voice.

Everyone turned and saw Ex-Aid again. He was standing at the entrance. He walked over and just tossed the Gashacon Breaker to Lisbeth, who fumbled a bit before getting a proper grip on it.

"You can fix it up, right?" He asked smugly.

"Well… yeah…" Lisbeth began.

"In exchange, I'll clarify everything." Ex-Aid said.

Everyone huddled around.

"We still have no idea of what the Bugsters are." Ex-Aid explained. "This is no simple hacker's job. This is way too much of a hassle for them to go through."

"But what we do know is they are bad!" Poppy said, flying on top of Ex-Aid's head.

Everyone was still surprised by the sight of Poppy, but they were still in shock of the fact that even the one exterminating them was given little information.

"Well, thanks for that." Asuna said. "But may I ask, who that is?"

She pointed at Poppy, and then Yui flew over to her.

"Yeah…" She pondered. "She's structured the same way I am."

"Now that you mention it, she's actually is similar to you." Ex-Aid replied, having Yui in his hands.

Poppy flew next to Yui, shaking hands with her.

"Hope we become good friends!" She said with a smile.

Yui smiled back, happily knowing there was someone else like her.

"One more thing." Silica asked. "What was that thing you used to defeat that Bugster thing?"

"That was something known as a Gashat." Ex-Aid said. "It contains all of the data of the game it's based on. Salty was actually the boss in that game. And that's all I could tell you. Everything else is classified."

And with that note, Lisbeth repaired Ex-Aid's weapon, and walked out of the shop. Klein yawned loudly.

"Well, I think I need to sleep." He said drowsily. "It's 10 PM right now IRL."

"I guess." Kirito chuckled. "We'll meet up again in a few days, okay?"

That said, everyone logged out.

The next day, Asuna was walking back home with Kazuto after their date. They were on his moped, and currently speeding through the streets.

"Do you believe him?" Asuna asked.

"I have no choice but to." Kirito replied. "If that's all he could tell us, that is all."

Asuna wrapped her arms around Kirito's stomach tighter. But that's when a car almost ran into them. Kazuto swerved just in time, but the force caused both Kazuto and Asuna to fall off his moped. Kazuto came out unscathed, but Asuna had a swollen ankle. He quickly got her to a hospital.

At the hospital, Kazuto waited impatiently at a bench.

"Come on… come on…" He said quietly.

In the office, Asuna was getting a bandage on her swollen ankle. When the doctor was done, he made sure if Asuna was able to walk. She stumbled, but the doctor was able to catch her.

"Thank you doctor." She smiled.

"Just doing my job, miss." He replied.

He helped her outside. Kazuto stood back up, and exchanged the doctor's place.

"How will her ankle be?" He asked.

"It may hurt for now, but given a week, it should be back to health." The doctor replied.

"Thank you." Asuna replied. She looked at the name. "Dr. Kagami."

"Please, call me Hiro." The doctor smiled.

Asuna and Kirito then slowly walked out of the hospital. Hiro walked back to his office and sat down at his desk.

"So… you survived eh?" He said, looking a picture on his desk.

The picture was of him in a Knight of the Blood Oath uniform. He was in the group photo of that Guild. Next to him stood the Lightning Flash Asuna.

"Heh." He chuckled. "Guess that reporter kid was right… maybe it's time I pay her visit."

He stood up and grabbed his coat. Then he walked out of his office.

Everyone was back in ALO. They were just chilling out in the forests.

"Okay. This is just weird." Leafa commented. "We've been in this forest for an hour and no monster has spawned!"

"Maybe it's the Bugsters?" Sinon suggested.

"Even if they're somehow involved, that shouldn't affect the monster spawns." Kirito said.

Then, there was a scream. Everyone ran towards the scream, and, as expected they saw a monster. However, it was just spewed out orange blobs and formed into a magician of sorts.

"Another Bugster…" Kirito muttered.

The magician saw them.

"Well, looks like we have full ensemble here!" He said.

"Let me guess." Asuna said. "You're a Bugster?"

"My! Such knowledge!" The magician acclaimed. "I am Alhambra, the game's most brightest wizard! Once more, if I defeat you, I shall be complete!"

"But knowledge will only get you so far if you don't have the strength to back it up." Said a voice.

The SAO gang and Alhambra looked at the source of the voice. There stood an Undine warrior with a ponytail that went up the back of his neck. His face was stoic, no emotion showing.

"Are you saying that you are far superior to me?" Alhambra said.

"Yep." The warrior said. He then opened up his cloak. He was wearing the same belt that Ex-Aid did and he also had a Gashat in hand. He twirled it around and pressed it.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

A blue game field spread out and treasure chests placed themselves around the area.

"Wait, you're a Rider too?" Klein asked in shocked voice.

"You're existence is a 'No thank you', boy." Said the warrior.

"Boy?!" Klein yelled.

He placed the Gashat on the other side, and placed the Gashat into the belt.

"Henshin." He said.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

The figure was replaced by a chibi figure. However, unlike Ex-Aid's, the face was different. Instead of the pink punk hair, it had a warrior's ponytail on top. The figure turned the lever on the belt.

"Proceeding to Level 2." He said coldly.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

The chibi figure's limbs popped off. It formed a new body sort of how Ex-Aid did. The figure landed gracefully unlike him though. He set one foot in front of the other, and gently put his hands in a position as if he was about to operate. Asuna recognized the stance.

'Wait…' She thought. 'That stance…'

Then, the player name appeared above the man. It read as "Brave."

"Brave…?" Asuna whispered.

"Scalpel." He said.

Just then, a weapon wheel appeared around Brave. And to his right hand, a sword spawned.

 **GASHACON SWORD!**

A sword about the length of Kirito's appeared. He placed it in front of him, preparing for an attack.

"Proceeding with the Bugster extermination." He said almost robotically. "Beginning with standard attacks."

Then, in the blink of an eye, he was in front of Alhambra. He first slashed his arm, so he would be unable to cast any spells. Next, he quickly grabbed his sword backhanded, he sliced the back of it. Then, he pressed the A button on his sword, turning it into a fire sword.

 **GA-JIIING!**

Finally, with another slash, he delivered the final blow to Alhambra.

"But I…" He shouted. "I just got separated!"

Then, he dissipated into nothing.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

Brave then wiped his hands and turned to the SAO players.

"Don't interfere with this operation, children." He said coldly. "Leave this to the professionals."

Brave began to walk away, and just when he was about to cancel his transformation, Asuna had other ideas.

"Wait!" She shouted. "You're also a survivor, aren't you?"

Everyone froze at the statement. Even Brave. He turned back to face Asuna.

"You're just like us: A survivor of Sword Art Online. You were part of the Knights of the Blood Oath Guild. You were known as Brave: The Spear with no limits."

Brave sighed.

"Figured you'd know." He chuckled. Then, he pointed at Asuna and Kirito.

"I just met the two of you earlier today actually." He commented.

Kirito gathered his thoughts. Then he realized.

"Dr. Kagami?!" He shouted.

Brave raised his sword in response. He pointed it viciously at Asuna.

"Exactly." He smiled. "Personally, I would've just leave on good terms, but now that we both know each other in both worlds, I can't possibly let you live."

"So, Ms. Lightning Flash Asuna." He continued. "How about a duel?"


	5. In-Fight

Chapter 5: In-Fight

There was tenseness in the air. The monster had just disappeared. In the middle of random forests outside Sylph territory, stood a group of players, and a player known as Brave.

"A duel?" Asuna asked.

"Yes." Brave said. "We have never fought on equal terms before. I thought this would be the perfect chance."

Asuna put on a brave face. She had been told back in Sword Art Online that Brave was the supposed second-in-command of the Knights of the Blood Oath Guild. He has never lost a battle to anyone before. In secret, she was itching for a chance to fight Brave as well.

"Okay." Asuna finally replied.

"I'm glad you obliged." Brave said. Then, he pulled the lever on the belt closed.

 **GACHANN!**

Random white armor pieces came flying out of nowhere, and attached themselves back onto Brave, reverting him into his chibi form again.

"He reverted back!" Klein commented.

Ignoring that comment, Brave sent the battle request. Asuna, quickly accepted, and approached Brave slowly. She drew her rapier.

"To a fair duel." Brave replied., although no one took the guy seriously due to the silliness of the chibi form.

The pre-battle timer ended, and marked the start of the duel.

Asuna moved first. She darted to Brave, slashing his armor. She looked back to check, but Brave didn't look fazed at all. Asuna tried one more time. She went for a straight slash, but Brave jumped out of the way. He made his way to one of the treasure chests. He opened one and gained a speed boost. He got behind Asuna and slashed her back.

"Asuna!" Lisbeth shouted.

Kirito winced. The last time Asuna wasn't able to keep up with an opponent was back when Yuuki challenged her. But she was holding back.

'Could he be doing the same thing?' He thought.

Asuna got back up, panting. Half her health was gone, while Brave has lost only a tenth of it.

"Pleasantries are over now." Brave said, grabbing the lever on his belt. "Proceeding to Level 2."

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

The chibi's limbs popped off. Brave returned to his previous form. He raised his hands once more.

"Beginning counterattack." He said robotically.

Brave grabbed his sword around backhanded, and darted towards Asuna. She couldn't see him. He was right behind her in a flash.

"How-?" She uttered.

"Too slow." Brave commented.

And those were the only words he said throughout the rest of the duel. He slashed and struck Asuna in openings and areas she didn't even knew she left open. She did her best to block, but Brave was too fast for her to keep up.

Then, something completely surprising happened. Asuna tried to block one of Brave's slashes. She grabbed the blade too to add support, but her rapier shattered when Brave let the sword down full force. She stumbled back and fell on her butt. The blade stuck to the ground, while the hold was still in her hand. She was dumbfounded. Even the crowd watching was amazed by this.

"He… shattered… Asuna's rapier…?" Silica uttered.

"I just repaired that thing!" Lisbeth whined.

Brave scoffed as Asuna slowly stood back up. She threw the broken sword aside and pulled out her fisticuffs.

"I'm rather disappointed, Miss Asuna." He sighed. "I was hoping for a better fight."

First, he pressed the A Button on his sword, turning it back into its ice form.

 **GO-JIING!**

He then pulled the Gashat out of his belt, and inserted it into his sword.

 **GASHUUN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Brave twirled his sword around, and stabbed it into the ground. In a cone shape, mist swirled around as the field began to freeze. The ice went up to Asuna's ankles, freezing her in place. She struggled to move, but she couldn't. Brave darted towards Asuna.

 **TADDLE CRITICAL FINISH!**

Mist began to emanate from his sword, and Brave went for a straight slash right through Asuna's abdomen. The result was a giant explosion which engulfed the two fighters. When the smoke dissipated, Asuna was on her back, health bar at 0, while Brave was standing triumphantly behind her, health bar at 98.

"Asuna!" Kirito shouted.

Everyone quickly made their way towards her. Kirito held Asuna in his arms, and Yui floated and landed on her chest.

"I lost, didn't I?" She joked.

"Yeah…" Kirito laughed.

He helped her back up, carrying her piggyback. The others began to make fun of her.

"You're going to owe me a big one if you want that rapier repaired!" Lisbeth smiled.

"Come on…" Asuna sighed.

Then she looked up at Brave. He just now cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GACHUNN! GASHUNN!**

Brave was in his Undine body. He gave Asuna a look of approval, and began to walk away. He gave her a backwards goodbye hand, and soon he flew out of the forest. Asuna smiled lightly. There was something more to him. She wanted to find out.

"Aww! I missed it!" whined a familiar voice.

Everyone turned and saw Ex-Aid hurriedly walking over to them. In his Salamander body of course.

"Really?" Lisbeth commented with a sweat-drop.


	6. Doppelgänger DLC

Chapter 6: Doppelgänger DLC

After that whole fight went down, the gang were just chilling out in Lisbeth's shop. While Liz is fixing everyone's weapons, everyone else, along with Brave and Ex-Aid were in a staring contest.

"So…" Klein started. "What's up?"

"What's 'up' is you kids." Brave replied. "You should all stay out of this."

"Why?" Silica asked. "Those Bugster things are all over the AR game! We want to help!"

"Yeah!" Leafa chimed in. "All we need now is more information!"

Upon hearing this, Brave pinched the bridge of his nose in disgust.

"You actually _told_ them?" He groaned.

"Yeah he did!" Poppy replied in defense, popping out of Ex-Aid's pocket. "These kids can handle themselves!"

"How these kids can handle themselves is none of our concern." Brave replied harshly.

"Hey, come on." Ex-Aid commented. "I've seen them in action. You yourself battled Asuna over here!"

Asuna slightly flinched at the mention of her name.

"Okay, I'll give her that." Brave admitted. "But we can't have citizens putting their lives out for something like this."

"Something like what?" Kirito asked.

Brave turned and saw the black swordsman in his face. He stared down at him hard.

"All you need to know, child." He said condescendingly, pushing him back with two fingers. "Are in need to know basis."

With that final phrase, he began to walk out of the shop. Poppy and Ex-Aid followed after him.

"Sorry about him!" Poppy said sweetly. "We'll make sure to have a talk with him!"

Ex-Aid didn't say anything. He just simply looked back at the SAO gang, and just followed Poppy outside.

"They're keeping something from us." Klein said. "I know it."

"You may be right." Sinon agreed. "This might not be as simple as we thought."

Kirito grimaced. These Kamen Riders are beginning to peek his interests. He wanted to know what the matter was.

Kazuto sat on his bed with a book in hand. He was reading it, but he just couldn't focus. The whole Bugster debacle was distracting, to say the least. It took a few minutes, but he finally dove into the book. But a few seconds later, his phone buzzed.

"Aww…" He groaned. "I was just getting into it."

He looked into his phone and saw that he got a text. He opened it up and read it silently.

 _Hey, Kirito._

 _Are you free after lunch? Emu wants to meet up with us._

 _Before you ask, he sent this message through the ALO messenger._

 _We'll meet at Liz's shop. Seems like the place is our stomping ground._

 _Meet you there!_

 _-Asuna_

Kazuto sighed. Just when he thought he was pushed out of a problem, the problem just keep pulling him back in. He closed the book, and got up.

"Hey, Suguha!" He shouted. "You doing anything?"

Kirito and Asuna are sitting on a desk with Ex-Aid and Brave right across from them. Poppy and Yui were with their respective players, and the others are around Kirito and Asuna. Liz was in the back, prepping their weapons, but she listened on as best as she could.

"I've got an appointment in an hour." Brave said annoyingly. "Make this quick."

"Don't worry." Asuna assured. "All we have are some questions that need answers."

Klein whispered something into Kirito's ears.

"You DO know that they still won't answer, right?" He whispered.

"Hey, I thought the same thing." Kirito shrugged. "But Asuna was persistent."

"Do you know when the Bugsters began to appear?" Asuna asked.

"Classified." Brave replied bluntly.

"What can you tell us about them?" Asuna asked again.

Ex-Aid was about to open his mouth to answer, but Brave cut him off.

"The reporter should've told you that." He said blankly.

"Are you working with someone?" Asuna asked.

Ex-Aid and Brave now looked at each other. Their employer and financer is someone very high in the gaming industry. Would it be okay to tell them?

"I guess it's okay." Ex-Aid finally said.

"Very well." Brave sighed.

"We're working with GENM Corporation's CEO, Dan Kuroto." Ex-Aid answered.

Everyone paused at that answer. Someone that high was involved in something like this. Asuna gathered herself from the shock.

"I… think… that's enough questions." She whispered.

Ex-Aid smiled, and Brave just turned around back with his legs crossed. Poppy began to flew to Ex-Aid, but Yui grabbed her arm and yanked her over to the SAO gang.

"GENM Corporation's CEO?" Kirito asked.

"Uh-huh!" Poppy said. "He gave me to Ex-Aid, and now I'm here to help him against the Bugsters!"

"Isn't the CEO like… insanely rich or something?" Leafa asked.

"Yes, he is." Sinon answered. "His company is number one on console gaming. Looks like they're taking a shot at AR."

"How would he know about this though?" Silica asked.

"Huh…" Asuna pondered.

Just then, Poppy froze and flew into the air.

"Bugster, located!" She announced.

That's all they needed. Ex-Aid and Brave leapt out of their seats and bolted out of the shop. Poppy hastily followed after them. Kirito and the others followed them outside. They saw them run down the path.

"Let's follow!" Klein shouted.

"Hold it!" Liz yelled.

Everyone turned to Lisbeth with her hands on her hips.

"I haven't finished prepping your weapons!" She said grumpily.

The gang had no choice but to wait for Liz to finish.

Meanwhile, Ex-Aid and Brave made it to the location of the Bugster.

"Poppy. You sure it's here?" Ex-Aid asked.

"I'm sure!" Poppy said.

Brave looked around. And with one step the Bugster leapt from the trees and landed behind them. It roared a bit before settling down.

"Looks like it can't talk." Ex-Aid observed.

"Let's get this over with then." Brave replied.

Both of them put on their belts and pulled out their Gashats. They pressed their respective ones at the same time.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

A pink and blue game field spread all over the area. And at that same time, brown 2 by 2 by 2 blocks placed themselves all over the area, while brown chest landed all over the area as well.

"Henshin." Brave said.

"Henshin!" Ex-Aid said.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Both figures of Ex-Aid and Brave were soon replaced by two chubby chibi figures. They stood for a bit before turning the levers on their belts.

"Proceeding to Level 2." Brave said robotically.

"Dai Henshin!" Ex-Aid announced.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

Both chibi figures' armor and limbs popped off, and revealed two slimmer looking men, raring to fight.

"Let's clear this game with no continues!" Ex-Aid said.

 **GASHACON BREAKER!**

"Proceeding with Bugster extermination." Brave said.

 **GASHACON SWORD!**

Kirito and Asuna were up front, followed by Klein and Lisbeth, then Silica and Leafa, and Sinon at the back.

"They should've gone in this direction!" Klein shouted.

"We heard you the first time!" Lisbeth shouted back.

Asuna noticed Kirito hasn't said anything in a while.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked.

"Huh?" Kirito startled. "Uh, yeah."

They kept on running for a few minutes. That's when they were stopped by something. Some sparks sparked on the ground near them, causing them to stop. Everyone slowly drew their weapons, just in case.

"Who's there?" Kirito shouted.

"Reveal yourself!" Asuna yelled as well.

That's when a purple game field spread through the vicinity. Everyone took a step back, while Kirito looked unfazed. Then, they were face-to-face with another chibi figure. It stared them down hard.

"Uh…" Klein began.

"Who are you?" Lisbeth shouted.

The figure didn't reply. It only pushed the lever on his belt.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N! X!**

The chibi arms popped off. A head and new limbs spawned out of the side of the face. He turned around and faced the SAO gang. He was exact copy of Ex-Aid, only he is purple and black to the latter's pink and white.

"What the…?" Kirito whispered.

"Ex-Aid?" Silica asked.

"No." Sinon replied. "That's not him."

The Rider calmly raised the weapon on his right arm. He twisted it around, revealing a handheld chainsaw.

 **GE-IING!**

The Rider charged. He swung and slashed at them, with the sound of a roaring chainsaw following close by. But the way he landed hits were off. He would put his chainsaw somewhere on his target's bodies, and then he pushes the saw aside, landing a hit.

"Why you little-!" Leafa grunted.

But the Rider only flipped around and sliced her back.

"Stand still, would ya!" Sinon yelled.

The Rider paid no attention as he just threw Liz into her.

"Yui!" Kirito shouted.

"Yes!" Yui replied quickly. She then slowly concentrated. She was trying to predict the pattern of attacks this Rider was about to do. But she wasn't able to come up with anything.

"I can't do it!" She shouted.

With a slice and dice of Klein, the Rider then turned to Yui. He twisted his weapon again to reveal two ray gun barrels.

 **KER-POW!**

He swung it around his body and bullets flew in a cone shape. Kirito and Asuna were able to block some of them, but one of them landed directly on Yui.

"YUI!" Kirito shouted.

The Rider scoffed, and twisted his weapon into the chainsaw form again.

 **GE-IING!**

He went for a direct slash, using Asuna as launching pad. He would've landed the attack if a hammer hadn't smashed into him. Gathering himself, he stood back up to see Ex-Aid and Brave running towards him.

"You again?!" Poppy frowned, holding Yui in her arms.

The Rider observed the situation. He was now face to face with two Riders. The SAO gang are of no concern to him, but he was still outnumbered. He only turned around and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?!" Leafa shouted. She began to run after him, but Brave stopped her.

"Let him go." He said. "He'll be back for us."

Leafa only frowned and looked on in the direction that Rider ran.

"Are you okay?" Ex-Aid asked, helping Lisbeth back up.

"Yeah… we'll live." Liz smiled.

'This is new for him…' Brave thought. 'What is it about these kids?'

"Who was that anyway?" Klein asked.

"Believe us, we're asking the same thing." Brave replied.

There was a tense feeling in the air. A new Rider that no one ever knew?

"Wait, you don't know?" Sinon asked again.

"We encountered him several times before, and we never got the chance of getting to know him." Ex-Aid explained.

"That's right!" Poppy chimed in. "We think he's with the Bugsters, but we really don't know!"

What followed that was some more silence. Kirito marched forward to the Riders.

"Now, you willing to talk about the Bugsters?" He asked.

Ex-Aid looked at Kirito, then turned to Brave, silent as ever. Brave then turned around, and shoved Kirito. He fell back, but Asuna caught him.

"I thought I told you." Brave stated coldly. "All you need to know are in need to know basis."

And with that, Brave logged out of ALO. Ex-Aid looked at the gang. He then too began to log out as well.

"I'm sorry." He called before leaving. "There's nothing else I can do here. Poppy, let's go."

Poppy flew onto his shoulder, and Ex-Aid logged out. The SAO players are now just sitting in the plains of ALO, even more confused by what just happened.

"Just what are you all up to…?" Kirito whispered.

Elsewhere in the real world, the young man is still playing on his mobile gaming device. He just defeated the boss of the level he was on. Just then, another man on a screen nearby appeared before him.

"Hey." He said.

"Pallad." The other man said.

The man looked furious.

"He met those kids." He told him.

"Well, that was ballsy of him." Pallad chuckled, going onto the next level.

The man next to him only grunted.

"Three of my kind have been defeated…" He muttered.

"C'mon!" Pallad assured. "We can always get more!"

The man, visibly angry, scoffed and left Pallad. Pallad only laughed and continued to play his game.

"Just a few more…" He whispered to himself.


	7. Bang! Get Rekt!

Chapter 7: Bang! Get Rekt!

It was night in one of the bright cities within the territories of the Sylph. NPCs were bustling about, even some players are enjoying the time together. However, the one who stood out the most is the fact that the leader, Sakuya, was walking along with Leafa and Recon in tow. Recon seemed to be acting very shy.

"Something wrong?" Sakuya asked.

"Well, yes…" Recon replied shyly. "It's just… it's rare that you would invite us for tea, Miss Sakuya."

Sakuya giggled at this statement.

"Well." She replied with a smile. "This seemed to be the only way to repay you after everything you did."

"She's right, you know." Leafa added. "You deserve this."

Recon blushed slightly. This was again a rarity. Leafa giving him a compliment.

Leafa giggled and continued to walk on. She was about to ask Sakuya something, when something caught her ear.

Several gunshots.

On that, she began to run towards the source of that sound.

"Whoa, hey, Leafa!" Recon shouted. "Where are you going?!"

Leafa didn't reply. She continued running. Despite being confused, Sakuya and Recon ran after them. Catching up, they saw Leafa's face. She was in utter shock, covering her mouth. They looked at what she saw, and they were horrified by the sight as well.

A plaza that was famous for its glowing water fountain and bustling NPCs, was now in ruin. The water was no longer blue, but pitch black. Lights were flickering back and forth, and NPCs were dying left and right. A couple players were seen as well, and Leafa quickly made her way over. Recon and Sakuya did the same thing.

"Hey!" Leafa shouted to the player. "What happened here?"

The player grunted a bit before answering.

"Someone… attacked us…" He groaned.

"Who is the assailant?" Sakuya asked.

"A… Spriggan…" The player muttered before finally dying.

Leafa only had a shocked face when he said that. Recon and Sakuya too. As far as they're concerned, the only Spriggan they knew personally was Kirito. Sakuya sighed, and spoke up.

"You know what this means, don't you, Leafa?" She asked in a monotone voice.

Leafa stood up, clenching her fist tightly.

"Yes." She whispered.

Sakuya sighed once more, and whispered something to Recon. Leafa held her arm, afraid.

 **I've gotta believe!**

(A circle camera shot of Kirito and Asuna, back to back, looking around, as the world pixelates and revealing the title)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(The SAO gang talking together)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far**

(The floor suddenly crash and all of them fall, their bodies pixelating into their SAO avatars. They slowly get up, looking around the pitch blackness)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The world shatters into color and the Riders walk up to them)

 **The new beginning**

(Each Rider show their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The SAO gang prepare to fight as the Riders go into Level 1)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The Riders go Level 2)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(The Gamer Driver lever turns)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid VS Kirito and Asuna)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Brave VS Silica and Lisbeth, Snipe VS Sinon and Leafa)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(In an explosion, Lazer tears by with Ex-Aid riding)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Ex-Aid (on top of Lazer in Bike mode), Brave, Snipe, prepare for battle with Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon respectively, and the SAO gang take back seat, despite posing for them too.)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Graphite and Genmu also get into a battle stance)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Graphite VS the SAO gang)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid & other Riders VS Genmu)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Sinon (GGO) and Snipe raising their guns to their faces)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Asuna and Brave clashing swords)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Kirito & Ex-Aid run towards each other as the title appears once more)

Suguha silently ate her toast. She was still shocked by what happened the night before. A Spriggan murdering countless Sylphs. There are questions she wanted answers to. What was that for? What was he trying to accomplish? Why did he-

"Sugu." Kazuto barged. "You're being uncharacteristically quiet again."

Suguha snapped back into reality. She was in the living room, having breakfast with her brother.

"Sorry." She chuckled, pouring another cup of milk. "Say… big bro?"

"Yeah?" Kazuto answered.

"Were you in ALO last night?" Suguha asked.

"Nah…" Kazuto sighed. "I was away with a friend of mine… why?"

"Oh, uh… no reason." Suguha quickly replied.

Kazuto looked confused, but eventually got up to wash up. Suguha finished her toast quickly, and cleaned up. But the thought Kirito being the Spriggan that attacked still pulled on the back of her mind.

Later, she was taking a walk down the park. Listening to music, she decided this was the best way to relax. She sat down on a nearby bench and breathed in the fresh air. She slowly closed her eyes, and slowly drifted off to the beat of the music.

"Sugu!" shouted a familiar voice.

Suguha opened one annoyed eye and saw Shinichi before her.

"Hey." She said.

"Hey." Shinichi replied.

He sat down next to Suguha, who scooted over a couple inches.

"So, the blockade has been placed." He whispered.

"So Sakuya is actually doing it, huh?" Sugu commented.

"Yeah… she wanted it to be a safety measure." Shinichi said. "She wants you later."

With that, Shinichi got up. But before he left, he looked back.

"The evidence isn't all there." He stated. "I know you don't want to believe it, but that alone isn't going to suffice."

Now, he walked away. Once he was out of Suguha's line of vision, she stood back up and made her way back home.

The sun was shining brightly. However, the sun's brightness doesn't reflect on the ground. Sylph troops were marching all over the place. Some were getting more gear, some were discussing strategy, some were even with Sakuya.

"Make sure you reinforce anyone that feels insufficient." She ordered. "We can't hold up anything right now."

"Yes, ma'am." The trooper replied.

The trooper left. Sakuya sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Miss Sakuya!" shouted a voice.

She looked up and saw Leafa and Recon flying towards her. They landed, and walked over to her.

"Well, this seems festive." Leafa commented.

Sakuya motioned two platoons over. They came up behind her.

"I'm putting you two in charge of these two." She said. "Make sure you cover more ground."

Leafa reluctantly agreed, and led her platoon. She made it to just a bit out from the third platoon stationed on the south-western front.

'Well… better get to it." She thought to herself.

"Multiple bogies coming in from above!" said a trooper.

Leafa looked up and saw the gang coming in. Asuna landed first, followed by Lisbeth, Silica, then finally Kirito.

"Hey, Leafa!" Lisbeth greeted.

"Hey, guy!" Leafa said sheepishly. "What are you doing here?"

"We came back from some monster hunting." Silica said. "We were just going to take a break here."

"Yeah… about that." Leafa said, scratching her cheek. "That might be a problem."

"What do you mean?" Asuna asked.

"Don't move!" yelled a trooper.

The girls all turned and saw two troopers, spears in hand, are in battle position, aiming viciously at Kirito.

"What's up with you guys?" He asked.

The troopers only tightened their grips.

"Guys! Stand down!" Leafa assured. "I'll handle it!"

The troopers, although not convinced, backed away slowly. There, Leafa grabbed Kirito and pulled him towards the rest of the gang. And she told them about what happened before.

"I see…" Asuna sighed.

"So they're after a Spriggan?" Lisbeth asked.

"And they think it's Kirito?" Silica asked.

"Yeah…" Leafa muttered. "It's confusing as it is."

"So that's why you asked me if I was in ALO last night…" Kirito summed up.

"Well, I know it wasn't you." Leafa confirmed. "Patrols have been scouring, but you know how Spriggans are."

"Oh, I beg to differ." Bellowed a voice.

Everyone turned and saw, conveniently, a Spriggan walking towards them. Two troopers walked up to him.

"State your business." One of them said.

The Spriggan grinned, and quickly axe-kicked one of them, nailing him to the ground. The second soldier was palm-thrusted through a tree.

"Who are you?!" Leafa shouted.

The Spriggan smiled happily.

"I'm your guy." He said.

It took a few minutes, but everyone was able to put two and two together.

"He's the Spriggan!" Lisbeth shouted.

"Contact Sakuya! Tell her that he's here!" Leafa ordered.

The trooper turned and contacted Sakuya.

"So I guess, we fight now?" Asuna suggested.

"It's the proper way to greet a superior warrior." The Spriggan taunted.

That provoked everyone. They all drew their weapons and got into a battle stance. Even the remaining Sylph platoon was getting ready. The Spirggan could only laugh. He pulled out something. Lisbeth was the first to notice.

"What the-?" She began. "A Gashat?!"

"Huh?" Everyone reacted.

The Spirggan smirked, and pressed the Gashat.

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

A navy game area spread out all over the area, and navy oil barrels also placed themselves all over the field. The Spriggan opened his jacket to reveal the belt. He twirled the Gashat and inserted it into the belt.

"Henshin." He said smoothly.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

The Spriggan's figure was replaced by a chibi figure once more. But you could only witness it for a short second as he turned the lever on the belt.

"Phase 2." He said.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **BABABANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

The chibi figure broke its limbs off, and another set of arms and legs replaced it. Now, the figure is slimmer, and taller. His hair bang covered his right eye, and his whole right side of his body is now covered by a flowing neon yellow cape. He cracked his neck.

"Time for the noob harvest." He said.

That's when a weapon wheel appeared around him. And a weapon materialized into his hand.

 **GASHACON MAGNUM!**


	8. The Mission

Chapter 8: The Mission

"Mission start." The Spriggan smiled.

The Spriggan, now Kamen Rider twirled his weapon around and fired. Bullet holes started to appear immediately, and his opponents began to scurry away. The Sylph troopers however, were taken out immediately. He then did a twirl and somehow got Silica right on her shoulder.

"Silica!" Liz shouted.

Silica fell to the ground and rolled into the Rider's feet. He was put his foot on her stomach, and continued shooting.

"Pina!" Silica managed to shout.

Her trusty dragon dived down towards the Rider. It poked and jabbed his head.

"Get- Off of me!" He shouted, grabbing Pina and chucking it out of the way.

"Why you little!" Leafa grimaced. She landed on the ground, and charged.

The Rider scoffed, and pressed the B Button. The magnum became an automatic SMG for a few seconds, and it shot bullets that took a chunk of Leafa's health.

"Leafa!" Asuna shouted. She began to dart towards the Rider.

"Too easy." He smiled, pressing the A Button this time. The magnum then turned from a hand-held magnum into a battle rifle with a scope.

 **ZU-KYUUNN!**

Rider picked up Silica. Then he threw her straight at Asuna's path as well as shooting the rifle. The bullet tore through the air and smashed Asuna with Silica through several trees.

"What is it with this guy?!" Liz shouted.

"Liz! Get some distance!" Kirito yelled. "Get out of his range!"

Liz nodded and took to the air. She went on for a good long. Yui, on Kirito's shoulder, slowly counted the distance.

"50m… 52m… 54m…" She slowly counted.

"Hmph." The Rider scoffed. Then he picked his rifle up to his face, and looked through the scope.

"No one can hide from my sight." He chuckled.

He fired, and what is more surprising, is that the bullet landed. Lisbeth was knocked unconscientious, and began falling through the sky.

"Liz!" Kirito screamed, quickly going after her. He caught her, and gently floated down to ground level. The Rider only folded the rifle barrel back in, turning it back into a magnum.

 **BA-KYUNN!**

He twirled it around, and looked at Kirito condescendingly.

"Welcome to the boss level." He announced.

Kirito looked up, livid with anger. The last time he was like that was when fighting Death Gun.

"Haven't seen that look on you for a while." The Rider laughed.

Kirito didn't reply. He only drew his Elucidator and Excalibur.

"Why…" He whispered. "What's this about?"

The Rider laughed. "Do I need a reason?" He replied.

Kirito then began to take a few steps forward. He then began to pick up speed. He went for a dive, but the Rider twirled around him, and shot his back.

"Is that all you got?" The Rider taunted.

Kirito got back up and slashed and swung his swords like a maniac. But as he was attacking out of pure emotion, the Rider was dodging easily.

"Seriously, you're not even trying right now!" He teased.

And with one high kick, he knocked out Kirito back onto the ground, swords clanging on the ground beside. The Rider slowly began to move towards him.

"Stay away from him!" Yui yelled, flying towards him.

She threw tiny and measly punches at him. The Rider just swatted her out of the way, near Asuna. Kirito grunted, pulling himself back up. But when he looked up, he only saw the barrel of the magnum with the Rider holding it.

"Stay down, kid." He said. "It was fun. I-"

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

Out of nowhere, Brave jumped in and slashed at the Rider, who hopped out of the way. Kirito turned to his side and looked on. Brave and the Rider stood for a few moments before talking.

"Snipe…" Brave uttered.

"Well, well, well." The Rider, now known as Snipe, said. "What up, doc?"

"Haven't seen you in a while." Brave commented.

"Well, I had to come back." Snipe joked.

The two stayed silent for a few more minutes.

"Hey." Snipe said. "We could stand here and ogle at each other until Christmas, or we could help Ex-Aid with that Bugster over there"

He pointed to his side. In a nearby plain, there were some explosions happening.

"Huh… right." Brave conceded.

Snipe put his weapon away, and began to run towards the fight with Ex-Aid and the Bugster. Brave, on the other hand, just stood there for a few minutes. He put his hand out, and enchanted some healing on the SAO gang.

"Stay here." He said when he was done. And with that he ran towards the direction of the Bugster outbreak.

"Ex-Aid!" Poppy shouted. "Incoming on your left!"

Ex-Aid jumped into the air, and avoided the attack.

"Rockets?! Seriously?!" He yelled.

The Bugster he was fighting seemed to be a robot. He was entirely made of metal, and his left arm was a 50mm caliber machine gun.

"Mission Status: In-Progress. Target: Alive. Probability of success: 98.43%." It said.

"Let's change that, shall we?" yelled a voice.

The Bugster looked up and saw Snipe shoot several shots. It rolled out of the way and fired a barrage of missiles. Brave quickly swung his sword and blew up the missiles in the air.

"Open fire." The Bugster says.

That's when a platoon of grunts materialized on the battlefield, rifles in hand. They began shooting at the cover the Riders took. Metal clanging sounds ensued.

"So glad you could join us!" Ex-Aid said annoyed.

"Thank you." Snipe smiled.

He got up, fired a couple of shots, which took down several grunts, and got back down.

"Would you guys mind if I change it up a bit?" Snipe asked.

Brave didn't respond, as he was busy deflecting some bullets. But Ex-Aid gave him a thumbs-up, which was good enough for him. He reached to the side of his belt, and pressed the button.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

They were now in a metal junkyard. The lush trees and bushes of ALO were now replaced with metal pieces of scrap lying around.

Now, the Riders began their offensive. Ex-Aid jumped into the air, and used his nimbleness to jump around and distract the grunts. With the distraction though, Brave was able to slash, slice and dice the grunts. Snipe was doing his own thing. He let himself be surrounded, only to twirl like a drill and shoot everyone in the face. One shot landed on Brave's shoulder, causing him to fall.

"Hey! Watch it!" He yelled.

Snipe just giggled, and continued to shoot. He pressed the A Button, turning his magnum into a battle rifle again.

 **ZU-KYUUNN!**

He then proceeded to get headshots from three grunts, who were conveniently standing in a line. That's when the main Bugster decided to do the work itself. It punched Snipe in the face. Ex-Aid and Brave quickly reconvened together.

"Target: The Kamen Riders. Priority: Eliminate all opposition. Status: In Progress." It said robotically.

Then, it shot a barrage of missiles from its back. The Riders ducked and weaved, but some of the missiles were agile enough to get them. All three tumbled and rolled from the attack. Ex-Aid stood back up triumphantly.

"That all ya got?!" He taunted.

Brave and Snipe stayed down, as their health bars are now down to the last 10%, which is 10 HP.

Unbeknownst to them, the SAO gang followed them. Reminder, they still heard Brave's heed to stay out of this conflict. They just chose to ignore it.

The Bugster took the chance and shot two cannon shells at Brave and Snipe. They blew up with an explosion. Brave and Snipe looked up and saw Kirito and Asuna, their respective swords in hand.

"I thought I told you kids to stay out of this!" Brave reprimanded.

"Since when did we listen to you?" Kirito joked.

"Encountering more hostiles." The Bugster said. "Engaging. Probability of success: 94.26%."

And as it proceeded to keep shooting, Asuna and Kirito provided cover, while Leafa and Lisbeth got Snipe and Brave to get behind a metal debris.

"How are we dealing with this?" Leafa asked.

"We're not." Brave answered.

Then, he cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GACHUNN! GASHUNN!**

Brave reverted back to his Undine body. He was panting heavily.

"What are you tired about?" Lisbeth asked.

"My HP was almost close to 0." Brave responded. "Had I continued, I would've died."

Kirito, who had just taken cover with Asuna, heard this, and just had befuddled look on his face.

"What do you mean, 'died'?" He asked.

"The Rider Gauge!" Poppy explained, flying out of Ex-Aid's pocket. "If it reaches 0, they get a Gamer Over and they die in both here and IRL!

Everyone froze when they heard that. The last time someone died from a VR game was back in the whole Death Gun debacle in GGO. Is it going to start again?

"How is that possible?" Silica asked.

"We don't know." Brave said solemnly.

"Wait. What about Ex-Aid?" Klein suddenly yelled. "Will he be okay?"

"Relax, dude!" Snipe shouted back, shooting from his cover. "That guy cheated death, like, 12 times! This one should be a breeze for him."

Snipe was right. Ex-Aid's HP was only half-full, and is jumping around all over the place. The Bugster just can't get the right precision on him. Ex-Aid then smashed a block he was on.

"Item: Get!" He cheered. "Defense: Up!"

Now, Ex-Aid landed back on the ground, and turned into solid metal. The bullets are now just bouncing off of him.

"Target: Improbable status." The Bugster said. "Unable to calculate. Standby- Standby-"

"You're open!" Ex-Aid shouted.

Then, grabbing his hammer, he inserted his Gashat into it.

 **GASHUUN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Ex-Aid cracked his neck, and charged towards the Bugster, who was still trying to counter him.

 **MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!**

With the blink of an eye, Ex-Aid then slashed the Bugster in half, killing it instantly. However, the game area didn't disappear. The area was still a metal junkyard.

"What… it's not over yet?" Kirito asked.

"Huh…" Ex-Aid shrugged. "Thought that would've been enough."

Snipe stood up. He inserted his Gashat into his rifle and pointed it viciously at Ex-Aid.

 **GASHUUN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

"H-h-h-hey! Wait a minute! Dude!" Ex-Aid pleaded.

Snipe ignored his plea and just pulled the trigger.

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FINISH!**

The recoil of the shot sent him back a good 4 feet. Ex-Aid ducked, but the bullet wasn't meant for him. It went right past his head and above his shoulder, and hit the same Bugster that was behind him.

"Cover: B-b-blown. Mission S-s-s-success rate: 0.00%. Mission: F-f-f-failure." The Bugster said before it blew up.

Ex-Aid looked behind him and saw the explosion. Snipe twirled his rifle out of pleasure, putting it up to his face.

"Mission complete!" He smiled.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

Now, the area began to disappear. The heaps of scrap metal and other junk dissipated. They were now back in the plain of ALO, where they started. The forests were to their backs.

"Warn me next time, man!" Ex-Aid griped.

"Hey, we got the job done." Snipe said nonchalantly.

"Your antics almost cost us that Bugster!" Brave scolded.

"Relax, doc." Snipe teased. "I'm here, so who cares if a few get away? We'll get them later."

The SAO gang just watched on. They couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hey, did I miss anything?" asked a voice.

The gang saw Sinon flying in. She landed just behind them.

"Sinon…" Kirito sighed. "You… missed a lot actually."

Sinon turned around and saw Ex-Aid, Brave, and now Snipe.

"There's a third?" She asked with cat ears twitching and a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah…" Klein replied.

Snipe saw Sinon. He smirked, and cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GACHUNN! GASHUNN!**

Snipe reverted back to his Spriggan body. Then, he approached her.

"Yo, Shino!" He called.

Sinon turned around and saw Snipe. She tensed up quickly. She resisted the urge to pull her weapons out, and only kept a face.

"Why's that man here?" She asked in a serious tone.

"Huh?" Kirito uttered.

"Isn't it obvious?" Snipe responded. "The Bugsters."

Sinon didn't reply. She only looked up at Snipe, who towered over her by about a foot. He smirked one more time, then took to the air.

"Hey, if you convert back to GGO sometime, how about a fight?" He yelled.

Then, he flew out of sight. Sinon looked down on the ground.

"Hey, Sinon, you okay?" Kirito asked.

"Yeah… I'm fine." Sinon replied.

But, she logged out as soon as she said that. Everyone was just befuddled how fast she just came and went. Brave, only took to the air. Ex-Aid also followed later with Poppy. Kirito looked up at the direction where Snipe flew. Asuna put a hand on his shoulder.

Snipe landed near a river. There, he laid down on a nearby log and closed his eyes.

"Ha…" He sighed. "Now for some relaxation."

There was silence for a few minutes. Only the sounds of the river flowing, birds chirping, and the trees rustling in the wind. Then, he heard steps. He kept on lying down as the steps got closer and closer. When the step broke a stick, he kicked up and pulled out the magnum.

A man approached him. He was in a brown cloak that cover his left arm and torso, while his right arm sleeve was green. He also had brown pants that stopped just short of his ankles, as they were cover by his black shoes.

"Snipe…" He muttered. "You are nothing but a walking corpse. It is high time that I erased you from this world."

"I'd like to see you try." Snipe chuckled.

The bow staff appeared in the man's hand. He twirled it around, and Snipe grabbed his magnum. They were about to kill each other if someone else hadn't interfered.

"Now, now, now." He said. "You really like jumping the gun, don't ya?"

"Pallad…" The man groaned. He grunted and walked away.

Pallad smiled and looked at Snipe.

"Sorry about him." He smiled.

"Who are you?" Snipe asked.

"Just know me as a player of the game." Pallad laughed.

And with that, Pallad disappeared. Snipe put his magnum down. He had no idea what just happened.

"Who is he though…" He asked himself.


	9. The Final Player

Chapter 9: The Final Player

Ryotaro (Klein) was sitting on a bench. It was his day off, and he wasn't planning on playing ALO. He had decided to take a walk, and grabbed a cup of coffee along the way.

"Man…" He sighed. "This feels nice."

Ryotaro took a sip of his coffee, and got up. He walked a bit longer but he ran into someone and accidentally spilled his coffee on him.

"Oh!" He snapped. "I'm sorry!"

"Ah, don't sweat it, man." The man said. "It's just coffee. It could've been worse."

The two then laughed. Ryotaro invited the man over his place.

"Seriously, man. You don't have to do this…" He chuckled.

"Well, you can't go around with coffee all over you, can ya?" Ryotaro replied.

After some talking, the man gave in and gave Ryotaro his shirt. In turn, he gave him a spare to wear for the time being.

"Wait, I haven't asked your name." Ryotaro asked.

"Ah, I'm Kiriya." The man said. "Kiriya Kujo."

 **I've gotta believe!**

(A circle camera shot of Kirito and Asuna, back to back, looking around, as the world pixelates and revealing the title)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(The SAO gang talking together)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far**

(The floor suddenly crash and all of them fall, their bodies pixelating into their SAO avatars. They slowly get up, looking around the pitch blackness)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The world shatters into color and the Riders walk up to them)

 **The new beginning**

(Each Rider show their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The SAO gang prepare to fight as the Riders go into Level 1)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The Riders go Level 2)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(The Gamer Driver lever turns)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid VS Kirito and Asuna)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Brave VS Silica and Lisbeth, Snipe VS Sinon and Leafa)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(In an explosion, Lazer tears by with Ex-Aid riding)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Ex-Aid (on top of Lazer in Bike mode), Brave, Snipe, prepare for battle with Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon respectively, and the SAO gang take back seat, despite posing for them too.)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Graphite and Genmu also get into a battle stance)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Graphite VS the SAO gang)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid & other Riders VS Genmu)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Sinon (GGO) and Snipe raising their guns to their faces)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Asuna and Brave clashing swords)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Kirito & Ex-Aid run towards each other as the title appears once more)

Now, the shirt needs to dry. Kiriya and Ryotaro just decided to talk some things until the shirt is dry. They were telling each other some wacky stories.

"You're kidding, right?" Kiriya chuckled. "You tried. To romance. An NPC?"

"Hey! The circumstances were legit!" Ryotaro retaliated.

"Hey, I'm not saying it's wrong." Kiriya defended.

They got a huge laugh out of this. Kiriya looked to a nearby counter. There, stood a picture of the SAO gang.

"Who are they?" He asked.

"Ah, they're just my friends." Ryotaro said. "We played ALO together for a while. Oh yeah, you see the guy in black?"

"Yeah?" Kiriya muttered.

"That's Kirito." Ryotaro answered. "That guy is like, crazy strong!"

"You mean metaphysically or mentally?" Kiriya asked.

"Uh… how about both?" Ryotaro responded sheepishly.

Kiriya got up and picked up the picture. He observed Kirito closely. Then, he looked at the others.

"Hey, your shirt's dry." Ryotaro called.

Kiriya quickly pulled his phone and took a picture of the picture. Then, he walked over to Ryotaro. He quickly changed and began to set off.

"Thanks for the time, man." Kiriya said.

"Ah, don't sweat it." Ryotaro smiled.

They said goodbye, exchanged numbers, and then Kiriya left. On his way, Kiriya thought a lot to himself.

"Looks like this race is a lot more complicated than I thought…" He whispered to himself.

Later, out in another forest in ALO, the SAO gang were busily racking up some kills. Random mob spawns made them easier to collect decent items.

"This one's pretty zippy!" Lisbeth shouted.

She was trying to get an average sized monster, but the way it moved sporadically kept her from getting a kill.

"Nah, looks like you got this!" Kirito teased.

"Very funny, Kirito!" Lisbeth yelled.

Then, something odd happened. The monster stopped moving. Then, with a jerk, orange blobs started to spew out of it. The blobs consumed the monster and turned into something else.

"Yee-haw!" It shouted. "Let's get revved up!"

The SAO gang just looked on.

"Bugster…?" Silica asked timidly.

That question was short-lived, as a bullet just whizzed by Asuna's head hit the Bugster straight in the face.

"OW!" It yelled. "Who did that?"

Everyone turned and saw Snipe. He had his Magnum in rifle mode.

"Let me handle this guy." He chuckled.

And with a zip, he charged in and attacked the Bugster. But even he couldn't keep up with its movements.

"Ya blokes need help?" asked a voice.

Everyone turned again and saw a Sylph player. He was just casually walking towards them.

"You gotta fight speed, with speed." He smiled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leafa shouted.

He shook his head, and went on. He quickly took the time to ruffle Leafa's hair though.

"Hey!" Leafa grunted.

The Sylph pulled something out. It was a Gashat.

"Another Gashat?" Lisbeth shouted. "Just how many are there?"

"More than you know, lil' missy." The Sylph replied.

He pressed the Gashat.

 **BAKUSOU BIKE!**

Following a guitar riff, trophy stands began to place themselves all over the area. The Sylph spun on the spot where he was and inserted the Gashat into his belt.

"Henshin." He said smoothly.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

The figure of the Sylph is now replaced by a giant chibi figure. However, this one was different from the others. It held two weapons, both of which had motorcycle wheels on them.

"Let's get started!" He cheered.

He charged in. He got the Bugster with a wheel to the face.

"Nice of you to join us, Lazer." Snipe greeted.

"Happy to be here!" Lazer replied.

Both he and Snipe were now gaining some momentum on the Bugster. If Snipe shoot, the Bugster would dodge, and that gave Lazer the opportunity to strike.

"Hm." The Bugster said after taking some damage. "Time for me to take my leave!"

The Bugster then summoned a dirt bike. He got on it, and tore down the road.

"Hey!" Snipe screamed. "Get back here!"

"Well, guess we'll have to go after him." Lazer shrugged.

Then, he spun around.

"Second gear!" He said. There, he lifted the lever of his belt.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **BAKUSOU! DOKUSOU! GEKISOU! BOUSOU! BAKUSOU BIKE!**

The chibi figure's armor popped off. But this transformation was a bit different. Instead of a humanoid form, it had turned into something else. A motorcycle of all things.

"HHUHHH?" The SAO gang all yelled.

"Alright, Snipe!" Lazer said. "Last one to catch him is a rotten egg!"

Then, with tires screeching the ground, Lazer sped down the road.

"He-Hey! I'm not as fast as you, y'know!" Snipe yelled, sprinting after him.

Sinon saw a chance. She quickly drew an arrow, and shot at Snipe's general vicinity. The arrow landed just in front of him, which prompted him to stop.

"You." She said, walking up with a dagger in hand. "I'm going to defeat you, right here, right now."

"What brought this on?" Snipe chuckled.

That was the point. Sinon tightened the grip on her dagger, and proceeded to swing it. She went for any open spots she could. But Snipe was able to either dodge or block all of her attacks.

"Sinon!" Kirito shouted. "What are you doing?"

"Kirito!" Asuna interrupted. "I'll handle this. You guys go with that Lazer guy!"

"Okay, then." Kirito replied. "Everyone, let's go!"

Everyone then sprouted their wings, and took to the sky. Asuna turned back to the fight of Sinon and Snipe. She went in.

"Sinon!" Asuna cried, grabbing her from behind. "What are you doing?"

"Let me go!" Sinon shouted. "You don't know what you're doing!"

Snipe just turned his magnum back to magnum form and pointed it at the two.

"Like shooting fish in a barrel…" He whispered.

 **SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

A neon green game area spread out all over the area. Everyone stopped and looked in the direction of where the game area came from. Right there, the black Ex-Aid appeared on a BMX bike. He rode it towards them. Then he did a backwards wheelie and hit Snipe in the gut. Then he spun around and scraped Asuna and Sinon off their legs. Then he did a wheelie and got Asuna on the chin. Sinon went for slash, but that was dodged by a bunny hop. The black Ex-Aid then inserted a Gashat on the side of his belt, as well as pressing the button.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Cartoon effects began to swirl around the BMX's rear wheel. He then pressed the button.

 **SHAKARIKI CRITICAL STRIKE!**

The black Ex-Aid then jumped and spun sideways very fast. All Snipe, Asuna, and Sinon tried their best to defend against the attack, but in the end, the attack overpowered them all. Sinon fell on her rear, Asuna was knocked into a wall, and Snipe rolled. All of them got up, but the black Ex-Aid was long gone. Snipe gritted his teeth, and exited his transformation.

 **GACHUNN! GASHUNN!**

Snipe reverted back to his Spriggan body. Taking another quick look at Sinon, he sprouted his wings and flew off. Sinon gathered herself, and realized Snipe was gone. She grunted angrily, kicking a wall. Asuna was starting to ask questions.

"What is it, Sinon?" She asked.

"I… don't want to talk about it." Sinon responded quietly. "Let's find the others."

She sprouted her wings, and flew off. Asuna looked concerned. She might've not known Sinon for very long, but she has known her long enough to consider her a friend. She wanted to know what was bothering her. But, that was a question for another time.


	10. All Assembled

Chapter 10: All Assembled

The Bugster is still tearing down the road.

"Hey! Get back here!" Lazer yelled from behind.

The Bugster looked back, and only accelerated. Lazer tried to keep up with it, but in the end, the Bugster was able to escape.

"Catch me if you can!" The Bugster yelled, smiling.

Lazer scoffed, but then, he spun out. That was when he cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GACHUNN! GASHUNN!**

Lazer reverted into a Sylph again. He tumbled for a short bit for getting himself together and stopping. He looked at his Gashat concerned.

"Guess you can't reach full speed without a rider…" He sighed.

Kirito and the others landed just a bit off of him.

"Did you lose him?" Kirito asked.

"Yeah, but I'm sure he'll turn up again." Lazer said nonchalantly.

Klein looked at him closely. He observed Lazer closely.

"Kiriya…?" He whispered.

Lazer perked up. Then, he looked at Klein.

"Ryotaro?" He asked.

After a brief pause, the two laughed and slung each other over their shoulders.

"So, this is where you manage your downtime, mate?" He asked.

"Everybody needs a hobby." Klein chuckled.

"Um, excuse me." Kirito interrupted. "Klein, would you like to introduce your friend here?"

"Ah, sorry!" Klein smiled. "This is Kiriya Kujo. I just met him few days ago."

"Hiya!" Lazer smiled. "But call me, _Lazer_!"

When he said _Lazer_ , he spun around and did a pistol move.

"Okay…?" Lisbeth shrugged.

"Nice to meet you!" Silica greeted.

"Alright." Leafa shrugged.

Just then, Sinon and Asuna floated in from above. They landed just a bit off where everyone stood, and they walked toward them.

"Is this the other one?" Sinon asked.

"Yeah." Klein replied. "This is Lazer."

"Hey." Lazer greeted.

"Hello." Asuna said. "Kirito, what happened to the Bugster?"

"It got away." Kirito answered.

"Hey, don't be so glum about it!" Lazer smiled. "It'll pop up again!"

"You say that like you're certain of it." Kirito commented.

"That's because he is." Said a voice.

Everyone looked up and saw Ex-Aid fly in from the sky. He landed close to them.

"Yo, pro!" Lazer greeted.

"Hey." Ex-Aid replied. "That Bugster is from the same genre of Lazer's game. And knowing the mechanics, it will definitely come back for him."

"Genre?" Asuna asked.

Lazer showed them the Gashat. It read Bakusou Bike.

"Bakusou Bike…" Asuna interpreted. "Isn't that the free-for-all racing game?"

"Yep." Lazer replied. "You have any means given to you to win the race."

"Kind of barbaric, don't you think?" Sinon added.

"Hey, I'm not the developer so I'm not complaining." Lazer joked.

Kirito looked at Ex-Aid.

"Why are you here?" He asked.

Ex-Aid turned to Kirito.

"The GENM CEO wants to meet with you. All of you." He said.

Everyone perked up from that statement. They began to huddle around.

"The CEO wants to talk with us?" Lisbeth asked.

"Yeah." Ex-Aid explained. "Looks like the word of you kids helping us got around fast."

"When will this meeting be?" Sinon asked.

"Next week, at 12." Ex-Aid said. "The GENM Corp. building, addresses will be sent to your homes."

Everyone understood. Now that the CEO has taken hint to their involvement, they had to come clean.

"Bugster located!" Poppy suddenly shouted from Ex-Aid's pocket.

She flew out and pointed in the direction where the Bugster signal is coming from. Ex-Aid looked at Lazer, who smiled.

"Let's get started!" Lazer cheered.

He put on the belt and he pulled out his Gashat, pressing it.

 **BAKUSOU BIKE!**

Then he twirled before inserting the Gashat into the belt.

"Henshin." He said smoothly.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Lazer was replaced by a chibi figure. Then, he swung his arm around and spun.

"Second gear!" He shouted.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **BAKUSOU! DOKUSOU! GEKISOU! BOUSOU! BAKUSOU BIKE!**

The chibi figure popped off. Then, the wheels he held onto flew out of his hands and attached themselves on either end of him. Then, he landed back on the ground as a dirt bike.

"Alright, let's go!" He said.

Ex-Aid walked over to Klein.

"You go." He said.

"Me?" Klein asked.

"Yeah." Ex-Aid smiled. "I've seen you fight. The way you swing that sword; you're compatible with Lazer's speed."

Klein hesitantly agreed, and proceeded to get on Lazer.

"Ah, it's you?" Lazer asked delightedly.

"Yep." Klein said. "Is it a bad time to mention that this is my first time on a motorcycle?"

"Well, hope I can make a good first impression!" Lazer smiled. "Press the button on the side!"

Klein looked around, and eventually found the button Lazer talked about. He pressed it, and it set the stage.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

The setting now became a race track of some kind. The others were off to the side, in audience stands it seems. Klein looked around, only snapping back when Lazer roared his engine. Right there, the Bugster rolled up beside him.

"If it's a race, there is no way I will lose!" It said triumphantly.

"You wish!" Lazer and Klein said at the same time.

Suddenly the lights above shone red.

Both Klein and the Bugster took their stances.

The lights turned yellow.

Lazer roared his engine.

The lights turned green.

And with tires screeching, both racers took off. The first bit of the race was a straightaway. The Bugster took the lead here. The next portion of the race was a series of zigzagged turns and straightaways. Klein took the lead here. This was partially due to Lazer's periodic stopping and going, while Klein only steered.

"Go, Klein!" Lisbeth shouted.

"Beat him!" Silica shouted.

"Come on, Lazer!" Ex-Aid shouted.

Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon winced, but eventually joined in on the cheering.

"Why I ought a!" The Bugster shouted.

He then began to cause explosions all over the track. Klein did his best to dodge them all, but they were enough to slow him down. The Bugster took the opportunity to tear by him.

"Hey!" Klein yelled. "That's cheating!"

"Advice: Cheating is the play of this game!" Lazer informed him.

Klein, taking that information in, thought of an idea. He whispered it to Lazer.

"Sounds risky…" He said. "Let's do it!"

Klein twisted the throttle, speeding up. As he approached the Bugster, he took out the Gashat from Lazer's belt and inserted onto the side of the belt, pressing the button as well.

 **GASHUUN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Lazer, the jumped into the air. Klein stood up, both feet still on Lazer, and drew his sword. He then crouched down and pressed the button.

 **BAKUSOU CRITICAL STRIKE!**

Lazer did a front flip, launching Klein in the process. Klein went for a straight slash at the Bugster's bike. The bike blew up. The Bugster flew in the air for a few minutes and tumbled down the road. Klein landed on the road like a hero, with his sword outstretched to his side. Lazer landed a bit behind him, but he drifted around him.

"It worked!" Lazer cheered.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

The setting reverted back to the plains of ALO. Everyone else ran towards Klein and Lazer.

"That was awesome!" Lisbeth complimented.

And, slyly, nudging his abdomen, she added, "For a first-time, you race really well."

Klein rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I didn't think I had it in me." He laughed.

Lazer revved his engine.

"I knew you had it, bro." He assured.

Klein looked at Lazer. He knew Lazer was smiling.

"Come on, you love-birds." Ex-Aid joked. "Lazer, we have to get going, remember?"

"Oh. Right!" Lazer said.

He reverted back to his chibi form, and cancelled his transformation.

 **GACHUNN! GASHUNN!**

Lazer was now back in his Sylph body.

"Sorry, guys!" He said. "We gotta go!"

Klein understood, saying goodbye with a handshake. With that, Lazer, Ex-Aid, with Poppy in tow, flew into the sky.

"I like that guy." Klein smiled.

Lisbeth shook her head, giving Klein on pat on his back.

"Everyone, over here!" Silica suddenly called.

Everyone walked over to where Silica was. Timidly, she pointed at something. It was the carcass of the Bugster Klein had just beaten.

"That…" She said timidly. She then ducked behind Kirito.

"What should we do with it?" Sinon asked.

"I'd like to analyze it." Said a voice.

Yui flew out of Kirito's pocket. She flew around and landed on Asuna's head.

"Do you think you can do it, Yui?" She asked.

"Yes." Yui replied confidently. "I've been having hard time deciphering these Bugster things. This leftover should help me gather further research."

With that, Yui slowly floated towards the Bugster carcass. But, when she got closer, three laser shots flew in from nowhere. Asuna was able to jump in and grab Yui clear of the shots. But the shots were meant for something else. All three blasts landed on the Bugster carcass, destroying it instantly.

"Who are you!" Kirito shouted.

Nearby, footsteps can be heard. Those steps belonged to the black Ex-Aid, who is now approaching the SAO gang. He still didn't say anything.

"What's your deal, dude?!" Lisbeth shouted.

"What's your connection to the Bugsters?" Silica asked.

Just then, he just reached to a holster on side of his belt. He pulled out another Gashat, which resembled the one he used on Snipe, Asuna, and Sinon a few moments ago. He pressed it.

 **SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

A neon green game area spread out all over the area.

"Everyone, get ready!" Sinon shouted, drawing her bow.

"He's going to summon a bike again!" Asuna reminded.

Everyone drew their weapons in response. They had heard this attack from Asuna before, so they knew what to anticipate.

But, they were wrong. The black Ex-Aid closed the belt back up.

 **GACHANN!**

He then inserted the Gashat on another slot next to the Gashat he already had in in the belt.

 **GASHATTO!**

He then opened the belt up again, revealing something very new before the SAO gang.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N! X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **SHAKARIKI, SHAKARIKI, BAD! BAD! SHAKATTO, RIKITTO, SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

The bike did appear, but in a bit of a different way. The bike rode around the black Ex-Aid for a few seconds, before floating to the top of him. Then, the front wheel and the handlebar twisted and landed on top of the black Ex-Aid. Now, he has a torso armor.

"What?!" Klein shouted.

"He didn't do that before!" Sinon said in a shocked voice.

The black Ex-Aid just inserted the other Gashat into the side of his belt and pressed the button.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

He reached to his right side, and pulled out the rear bike wheel. He then arched forwards, holding the wheel backwards. And with his other arm, he pressed the button.

 **SHAKARIKI CRITICAL STRIKE!**

The rear bike wheel then glowed with energy. The black Ex-Aid threw it straight at the SAO gang. It bounced into Kirito's arm, then onto Asuna's abdomen. It bounced a bit and landed on the back of Klein's head, and tore through Silica, Lisbeth and Sinon. All of the hits were followed by an explosion. All of them fell to the ground. All of their health bars are at 9.

"Just that one attack…" Kirito groaned.

Everyone else was too much in pain to respond. They were groaning and scoffing. The black Ex-Aid turned away and slowly walked away. Kirito looked on with a slight bit of fury in his eyes.

'Just who is that guy?' He thought.

Back in the real world, Pallad was just playing on his mobile device again. The same man that always seemed to be with him appeared on a nearby screen again.

"Looks like all of the players have joined." Pallaed smiled.

"Yes." The man griped. "But at what cost?"

Angrily, he left the screen. Pallad only chuckled and continued to play.

"Now, to the next level!" He cheered as he beat the game's current level's boss.


	11. Level 3 Pt 1

Chapter 11: Level 3 Pt. 1

It was a peaceful night once more. Cars strolled down the road. People were hustling about their business.

On top of a building though, Pallad was playing the next level of his mobile game. The man who seemed to be with him all the time appeared before him; only this time, he was there physically.

"I cannot wait any longer." He said. "I'm eliminating them. NOW."

"Do what you want, man." Pallad laughed. "I ain't stoppin' ya."

The man scoffed, and walked away. Pallad smiled some more, and then looked out to the city.

"Now…" He bellowed. "Welcome to the world of Level 3!"

 **I've gotta believe!**

(A circle camera shot of Kirito and Asuna, back to back, looking around, as the world pixelates and revealing the title)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(The SAO gang talking together)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far**

(The floor suddenly crash and all of them fall, their bodies pixelating into their SAO avatars. They slowly get up, looking around the pitch blackness)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The world shatters into color and the Riders walk up to them)

 **The new beginning**

(Each Rider show their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The SAO gang prepare to fight as the Riders go into Level 1)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The Riders go Level 2)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(The Gamer Driver lever turns)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid VS Kirito and Asuna)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Brave VS Silica and Lisbeth, Snipe VS Sinon and Leafa)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(In an explosion, Lazer tears by with Ex-Aid riding)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Ex-Aid (on top of Lazer in Bike mode), Brave, Snipe, prepare for battle with Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon respectively, and the SAO gang take back seat, despite posing for them too.)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Graphite and Genmu also get into a battle stance)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Graphite VS the SAO gang)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid & other Riders VS Genmu)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Sinon (GGO) and Snipe raising their guns to their faces)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Asuna and Brave clashing swords)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Kirito & Ex-Aid run towards each other as the title appears once more)

Kazuto and Suguha are both on a bus headed towards somewhere. While they weren't in a rush or anything, they were still tense about the current situation right now.

"Hey, Kazuto." Suguha called. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Kazuto replied. "It's just… meeting with someone important kind of puts me on edge."

"Really? You've never been on edge before." Suguha commented.

"Well, first time for everything, right?" Kazuto chuckled.

They both had a good chuckle, and after that, Suguha began to text one of her friends. Kazuto still had other thoughts though.

 _ **SHAKARIKI CRITICAL STIRKE!**_

The attack that followed that phrase left something on him.

"I know it's just a video game…" He said to himself. "But that attack meant to be a kill. What was that about?"

Just then, the bus stopped. Kazuto and Suguha got off. Then, they had to walk down a few more blocks down the street to see a building. It was sleek, silver, and on its side, stood the word GENM.

"Well, we're here." Suguha admitted.

"Come on." Kazuto said. "The others should be waiting inside."

Going through the automatic doors, they entered the main lobby. It was bustling with people. It is still in the morning, and some people are now beginning to trickle in. There was a TV nearby with a controller or two, and there were even some tables with a water dispenser next to it. In front of them sat the main desk, where a woman was busily checking in employees.

"Kirito!" shouted a delightful voice.

Kazuto turned around and was hugged by a very energetic Asuna. Behind her, sat Rika and Keiko, chatting together. Ryotaro and Shino was also there, but were pre-occupied by a convention-exclusive console on display.

"Well, looks like you beat us." Kazuto chuckled.

Asuna chuckled. She then motioned the others to come. It took them a while, since Rika had to pry Ryotaro off of the display stand, but they were able to get to the front desk.

"May I help you?" said the woman sitting at the front desk.

"We have an appointment." Kazuto explained. "With the CEO."

"Names, please." The woman replied.

"Kazuto Kirigaya." Kazuto replied.

The woman typed in something in her computer. Then, after a brief look, she responded.

"Ah, here you are." She said. "The CEO has been expecting you. Second elevator on the right hall way."

"Thank you." Kazuto said.

With that, everyone began to walk towards the said elevator. They got on, and the elevator took them up to the floor where the CEO office is housed on: Floor number 55.

Once the elevator arrived at its destination, the doors opened. Kazuto stepped off first, followed by Asuna, then the others. They walked down on hallway, passing a couch with a coffee table. They now stood before a door. Kazuto walked in and carefully knocked.

"Come in." said a gentle voice.

Kazuto slowly opened the door and allowed his friends to see the inside.

The office was big. Big enough to house a family. In one corner, stood a table with three desktop computers aligned side by side. A few feet from them, was a ping-pong table. Along with two paddles and a couple of balls, there also several tablecloths on it. On the farther side, stood large windows that overlooked the city from below. Just in front of the windows, was a desk with a computer and a phone. Some folders were strewn across the table in front of it.

"I've been expecting you." The gentle voice greeted.

That voice belonged to gentleman. He stood up from his desk. He was dressed in black dress shoes, black dress pants, and over a black dress jacket, he wore a pale blue shirt with a deep blue tie.

"You are Kazuto Kirigaya?" The man said. "I'm the CEO of GENM Corporation, Dan Kuroto. Please to meet you."

Kazuto shook his hand.

'At least he seems nice…' He thought.

Dan looked to the rest of the gang.

"I believe these are your friends?" Dan asked.

"Yes." Asuna said politely. "I'm Asuna Yuuki. Please to meet you!"

"No need to be so formal, Ms. Yuuki." Dan smiled. "I already know who you are."

"Wait, you do?" Ryotaro said.

"Yep." Replied a familiar voice. Everyone turned and saw Emu walk in.

"Hiya." He smiled.

"Emu!" Suguha greeted. "You're here too?"

"Of course he is!" said another voice. That voice belonged to Kiriya, who walked in and sat on the ping-pong table. "I mean, we're called for this too, y'know!"

"Guess we forgot to think about that." Ryotaro said.

"You never think about anything." Said another voice. In walks Hiro, in contrast to Emu and Kiriya's liberal dress code, dressed in a suit similar to Dan.

"What was that, punk?" He scowled.

"Try me, kid." Hiro growled.

The two glared at each other for a bit.

"Now, now." Asuna reminded. "We're all friends here, right?"

That was enough to separate the two. Hiro scoffed, while Ryotaro pouted and grabbed a chair.

"Now, we only need one more person…" Dan muttered.

"Well, well, well." Said a voice. "Ain't this a full house?"

Everyone looked over to the door and saw a man. He was wearing military camouflage pants with black boots and black shirt with a yellow sash tied around his torso.

"Taiga. So glad you could join us." Dan greeted.

Shino was shaken by the name. She took cover behind Kazuto.

"Sinon, what's wrong...?" Kazuto asked.

Taiga heard this and silently approached Shino.

"Shino…" He whispered. "Never thought you'd be glasses girl."

Shino sighed quietly. She wanted to go at him, but she can't do it here. Taiga smirked, then backed off. He then grabbed a chair.

"So, prez, what's up?" Kiriya asked.

Dan smiled warmly.

"First of all." He began. "I would like to thank the children here."

"For what?" Rika asked.

"We never asked you to help us with the Bugster." Dan explained. "I'm thankful for the assistance. Thank you."

"We're just helping out wherever we can, sir." Keiko replied.

"Now, I realize that you would like to know about the Bugster, yes?" Dan asked.

"Yes. Yes, we do." Kazuto said immediately.

Dan cleared his throat, and began to tell the story of the Bugster.

 _A few years ago, a terrible computer virus had spread all over the console gaming community. Fortunately, we were able to suppress the issue before it spread to other gaming types. However, we were too late in doing so. The virus was able to find its way to VR games. Ordinarilly, the virus should've stopped at the consoles. But the virus evolved. How it has done that still eludes us. The least we could do right now, is just eliminating the Bugster as quickly as we could. The Health Ministry even reached out to me in order to purge it._

"Why didn't we hear about this?" Suguha asked.

"It is for the benefit of the public." Dan explained. "If word that a technological virus was able to infect human minds that are entranced, there would be chaos. People would be all over the place."

"That makes sense." Shino commented. "Public awareness is a big factor in something like this."

"Precisely." Hiro added. "We've been doing what we can, just like Mr. Kuroto said, the Bugsters are evolving. We can't keep up with them."

"As such is the case." Dan replied.

He typed in something onto his computer, and then he projected it onto a screen. It showed four more Gashats. Each were in different colors of red, neon yellow, orange, and black.

"These Gashats are finished in the testing phase." Dan said. "We'll be able to input them into every VR games' base code."

"What games will they be based on?" Rika asked.

"You'll have to find that out for yourself." Dan chuckled.

"Four more Gashats, huh…" Taiga whispered.

"Looks like the game's getting intense!" Emu said optimistically.

"Don't jump the gun yet, man." Kiriya assured.

"Thank you for your time, gentlemen. I have meeting at 2, so you must be off." Dan said.

One by one, everyone began to trickle out of the office. Kazuto stayed though.

"Kirito? You coming?" Asuna asked.

"I'll catch up." Kazuto replied.

Asuna then hurried to the elevator before it closed. Kazuto was now in Dan's office, alone.

"I assume you have more questions?" Dan asked. "Grab a seat."

Kazuto grabbed a seat at one of the tables while Dan grabbed another.

"I'll do my best to answer." Dan assured.

"First things first." Kazuto began. "How are you creating these Gashats? The belts too?"

"If you want the truth, we are able to create Gashats from the leftover residue from defeated Bugsters." Dan answered.

"Are the Bugsters data?" Kazuto asked.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Dan replied. "Data can be destroyed, but what good is data if you can't collect it?"

"And for your information, the belts are called Gamer Drivers." Dan added. "They do have a name, you know."

"Fine." Kazuto said. "Also, Poppy mentioned something about dying. What's that about?"

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to answer that…" Dan sighed. "Very well."

"All four of the Kamen Riders have gone through a surgery." Dan explained. "They'll be in a similar situation you were years ago in Sword Art Online; pardon me for bringing it up. Anyways, the reason for this is so that they can eliminate the Bugsters."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kazuto asked.

"Your Avatars are only blank slates for your mind to inhabit." Dan continued. "They can't do damage physically. The Kamen Riders are different. Remember, the Bugsters are A.I. with an intent to kill."

"How does that have to do with dying?" Kazuto asked again.

"Their nerves, brainwaves, and thought processes have been operated on." Dan replied. "This allows them to feel the pain they experience in-game to real life. So basically, it is how Poppy said: If you die in-game, you die in real life."

"Why would you let them do that?" Kazuto asked again.

"This is the only way of destroying the Bugsters once and for all. They know what they've signed up for." Dan said.

"But Poppy recoded our weapons, didn't she?" Kirito asked.

"Well, she did." Dan replied. "But her coding is only effective against the lower leveled ones. Any advanced Bugsters you will face would prove to be a challenge. Even for you, Kazuto."

Kazuto grunted, gently smooshing his fist on the surface of the table. Those four people are basically putting their lives on the line, and he can't do anything about it.

'This is with Sachi all over again…' He thought, thinking back to how he just let his friend die.

"If it is any consolation." Dan suggested. "I could let you and your friends help."

Kazuto perked up.

"'Help'?" Kazuto asked.

"You can go into the surgery as well." Dan said. "That way, you will able to help the others in defeating the Bugsters. This doesn't mean that you have to do it. You can walk away from this, and just sit on the sidelines."

Kazuto thought for a short moment. This would mean being in Sword Art Online all over again, but this time, they are now fighting for a cause.

"Let me think about it." Kazuto replied shortly.

"Of course." Dan replied, handing him his business card. "Call me if you have made your decision."

Kazuto took the card. He put it in his pocket, stood up and left. Dan looked at Kazuto as he walked out.

"Such bravery inside a young man…" He admitted.

"That's quite something, I'll tell ya!" yelled a cheery vioce.

That's when Pallad burst into the room, spinning onto the ping-pong table.

"You like the kid, don't you?" He asked with a smile.

"Of course I do." Dan replied. "Once I've accomplished what Akihiko Kayaba couldn't, that is."

That's when a screen turned on as well. The man from before appeared on the screen.

"Kuroto!" He shouted. "How much longer must I wait!"

"Don't worry." Dan assured. "You'll have your moment soon."

Pallad smiled away, picking up a ping-pong ball and bouncing it.

"You're really something, aren't ya?" He chuckled.

Dan didn't reply. He only sat down on his desk and went back to work.


	12. Level 3 Pt 2

Chapter 12: Level 3 Pt. 2

Kirito sat on a tree. Leafa, Sinon, Klein, Lisbeth, and Silica are currently killing monster right now, and he currently has Asuna and Yui by his side.

"Kirito?" Asuna asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Kirito replied. "It's just… that meeting's been making me think lately."

Asuna knew what he meant. It has only been a few days since the meeting with GENM's CEO, but the information dump was quite something for them to handle.

"If there really is a virus spreading across VR…" Kirito thought aloud. "We have to be careful."

"Don't worry." Asuna reminded. "We all know the of the risks now."

Asuna then nuzzled her head onto Kirito's shoulder, and Kirito then wrapped his arm around her.

"Hey, love-birds!" Lisbeth shouted from below. "If you're done, we should be heading back now!"

Kirito and Asuna, sighing, had to comply. They knew if they had done this any longer, they would've been left behind.

A few minutes later, they were back in an area where NPCs are a common find. They all found a nice café to relax in. Each had a coffee in hand.

"Ah…" Leafa sighed. "This is the life."

"A tea after some monster hunting? Count me in." Sinon added.

But their tea break didn't last long, as the NPCs nearby began to scream and run away from something.

"Hey, what's going on?" Klein asked.

"We should see!" Silica suggested.

"Come on!" Kirito shouted, leaping over the railing.

"I was just getting into my coffee!" Lisbeth whined.

They ran for a good 2 miles before they found the source of what the people were running from. An actual online player was just hacking away at NPCs like there was no tomorrow.

"Is that… natural?" Klein asked uncomfortably.

"Depends." Sinon replied. "If that guy is planning to be an orange player for a good stretch of time."

"I'll talk some sense into him." Kirito said.

He walked in, his sword in one hand. The player was on his next victim, sword in the air. The NPC begged for its live, but the player didn't respond. He struck down his sword, but Kirito was able to block it before it landed on the NPC. And with a clanging of blades, Kirito managed to separate the NPC from the player.

"What's your deal?" He asked.

Yui then popped out and check the player's ID.

"His name is Serado." She said. "Lv. 43."

"Alright, Serado…" Kirito asked again. "What's going on?"

Serado didn't respond. He charged at Kirito again. He went for a stab, but Kirito spun around and nailed him right on the head. Serado stumbled and fell on his face.

"Was that supposed to be an attack?" Kirito asked.

Serado grabbed his sword, but, a huge surge of electricity coursed through him. He dropped the sword on the ground, and began to hold his head. Then, he yelled out of pure agony.

"What-, what is going on?!" Yui panicked. "His data is getting corrupted by something!"

"Corrupted?!" Leafa shouted.

Serado smashed his head on the ground, but by then, it was too late. He was engulfed by an orange substance. The goop stayed on it for a few seconds. Afterwards, they seeped back into him. Serado stood back up, but completely different this time. What used to be his clean, Undine body and hair, complete with snow white garments, was now a black metal gears and boxes, with a red armor on his torso. He also had a massive punching gauntlet on his right arm. Furthermore, there appeared to be something sticking out of his head.

Kirito tried to process what happened, but he was knocked back by punch to the face.

"Where did this come from?!" He shouted.

Serado didn't reply. His eyes were completely blank. Just white.

"I can't sense his movements!" Yui said. "It's like… he's completely shut down!"

"Figured as much." Replied a voice.

Everyone turned around and saw two familiar figures walking towards them. It was Ex-Aid and Brave. They had their Gamer Drivers on, and had their Gashats in hand.

"So Bugsters now infect players…" Ex-Aid stated.

"The stakes are a lot higher now." Brave agreed.

Everyone froze when Ex-Aid said his line. Bugsters can now infect players?

"So… how do we fight it?" Asuna asked.

"Simple." Brave replied, pressing his Gashat. "We beat it."

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

"Rightly so!" Ex-Aid replied, pressing his Gashat as well.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Each games respective areas spread out across the area, blocks and chests arranging themselves. Then both posed before inserting their Gashats.

"Henshin!" Ex-Aid shouted.

"Henshin." Brave said coldly.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Both figures were replaced by chibi figures of their Rider forms. But they didn't stay in this form long.

"Dai Henshin!" Ex-Aid called.

"Proceeding to Level 2." Brave said.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

The chibi figures disappeared, replaced by slimmer bodies of Lv. 2. Each summoned their respective weapons, and got ready to brawl.

"Let's clear this no continues!" Ex-Aid cheered.

"Proceeding with Bugster extermination." Brave said robotically.

Then, both began to attack. They slashed and struck the Bugster. While they did some damage, the Bugster relatively seemed to be unharmed. Ex-Aid even threw a couple of kicks, but the Bugster's armor is too thick. It just knocked him out of his way. Brave then stepped in and slashed. He did a straight slash and a spinning turn-slash, but that didn't do anything either. The Bugster did the same thing to him. And since they were within shooting distance, the Bugster launched its punching gauntlet straight at him.

"What was that?!" Ex-Aid yelled.

"Ah! Gekitotsu Robots!" Leafa shouted.

"Geki-what?" Lisbeth asked.

Poppy then flew in from behind and explained.

"It is a 1-on-1 punching game!" She said "You fight and fight with robots until your opponent is defeated!"

"My friend is waiting for the release of this game!" Leafa explained.

Brave and Ex-Aid heard this.

"If that's the case, we can't take him from a distance…" Brave said.

"But we can't get close to him either!" Ex-Aid threw in.

Kirito couldn't take it anymore. He tightened the grip on his swords and just charged.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Brave yelled.

Kirito didn't respond. He went for the Bugster, but was quickly intercepted by someone else. Kirito flipped over, and saw the black Ex-Aid again. He had just protected the Bugster.

"You again!" Kirito said.

The black Ex-Aid then pulled out his other Gashat. He pressed it.

 **SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

The bike from before appeared around him. The black Ex-Aid closed his Gamer Driver back up, then he inserted the Gashat in.

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

Then, he opened it back up.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N! X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **SHAKARIKI, SHAKARIKI, BAD! BAD! SHAKATTO, RIKITTO, SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

The bike rode around the black Ex-Aid, before hopping. The front wheel and the handle twisted, and landed on top of the black Ex-Aid. He popped out the front wheel, and he threw at Kirito.

Kirito predicted this, so he was able to jump. But the wheel kept going, and hit Asuna. Then, acting like a boomerang, it twirled and swerved around the gang, hitting his friends all over the place. For example, it got Leafa and Sinon by their legs and abdomen, Klein was hit straight in the face, and Lisbeth and Silica were sliced by their arms and legs.

"EVERYONE!" Kirito yelled.

He quickly made his way over. But the Black Ex-Aid didn't want any of it. However, he was intercepted by Brave and Ex-Aid. The _actual_ Ex-Aid.

"What stunt are you trying to pull here?" Ex-Aid asked.

Brave looked at the Bugster, who is now walking away. He went after it, but the black Ex-Aid was able to throw Ex-Aid into him. They both stumbled before getting back up. But they only found the SAO gang. The black Ex-Aid and the Bugster was gone.

Later, they were back in Liz's shop.

"So, what was that black Ex-Aid about?" Klein asked.

"We have no information on him still." Brave replied.

"Heh, and you say I don't think…" Klein teased.

"Anyways." Leafa interrupted. "What was that about?"

"What was what?" Ex-Aid interrupted.

"That Bugster." Kirito barged in, slamming his hands on the table. "You said that they effect players now, right?"

"Uh… yeah?" Ex-Aid replied hesitantly.

"It's just like you saw." Brave replied bluntly. "Bugsters have evolved to effect players. If we don't eradicate it, they'll eventually take over their hosts' bodies."

Everybody froze once again.

"Why didn't you tell us this at the meeting?" Asuna demanded.

"That's because this was a development from yesterday." Brave answered sharply. "We would've notified you, but the CEO insisted that you'll figure out on your own."

There was now silence. The situation just got a lot dire.

"Say…" Lisbeth started. "What happens when a Bugster takes over?"

"They'll become complete." Ex-Aid replied. "The host's IR mind then becomes nothing but data for the Bugster to feed off of."

"What about the body…?" Silica asked.

"We'd… rather not say." Brave said.

Another silence ensued. This time, a lot more tense. Just then, Poppy popped out of Ex-Aid's pocket, making her way to the table.

"And to make matters worse!" She pouted. "The Gashats we saw before have been stolen!"

Everyone now moved again.

"Stolen?" Kirito asked.

"Someone was able to access GENM's computers and hack into the mainframe." Brave explained. "We have reason to believe that the black Ex-Aid has stolen them."

"That Bugster from before was using one of those Gashats." Ex-Aid added.

"How is that possible?" Sinon asked.

"The Gashats are created from the Bugsters." Kirito responded. "Once a Bugster is defeated, they collect the data residue left behind. That is the source of the Gashats."

Everyone stayed quiet after that. Looks like the CEO were still hiding something from them.

"What about that Gashat the black Ex-Aid was using?" Silica asked, referring to Shakariki Sports. "Why is he so powerful with it?"

"That's because with it, he can access Level 3." Ex-Aid replied. "By your game's standards, our Lv. 1 forms are equivalent to around your Lv. 20's."

"So…" Leafa wondered, doing some math in her head. "Would that mean that the Level 3's would equal our Level 60's?"

"In a nutshell." Ex-Aid said.

Another moment of silence ensued. Poppy popped out of Ex-Aid's pocket, and looked around.

"Why is everyone so quiet?" She asked, before yelling suddenly.

"Bugster found!" She yelled.

But as soon as she was done, Brave and Ex-Aid bolted out of the shop, papers flying. The SAO gang went after them, but by the time they arrived, the fight was already fierce.

The Bugster is slowly making its way to a female player by the looks of it. She used all of her techniques and everything, but all of them were ineffective.

"HELP!" She shouted.

That's when Brave and Ex-Aid both kicked the Bugster. It rolled out of the way. The player still cowered in fear, as Ex-Aid and Brave put on their Gamer Drivers.

"You better run." Brave said, pressing his Gashat.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

"This might get a bit hairy." Ex-Aid added, pressing his Gashat.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Both games spawned their respective items, placing themselves around. Then, two other games begin to spread their items as well.

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

 **BAKUSOU BIKE!**

Both Brave and Ex-Aid turned and saw Snipe and Lazer, their Gashats and Gamer Drivers in hand.

"Don't forget about us, okay?" Lazer smiled.

"I'm not missing out on this." Snipe said.

Brave scoffed, but was happy for the help. All of them then inserted their Gashats into their Gamer Drivers.

"Henshin!" Ex-Aid called.

"Henshin." Brave said robotically.

"Henshin…" Snipe said smoothly.

"Henshin." Lazer announced coolly.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

All figures were now replaced by their chibi forms. Just then, the black Ex-Aid from before appeared before them.

"I got this one!" Lazer assured. "You take on the Bugster!"

"You sure?" Snipe asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine!" Lazer assured.

With that, Lazer darted towards the black Ex-Aid, while the other three Riders proceeded to Level 2.

"Dai Henshin!" Ex-Aid called.

"Proceeding to Level 2." Brave said.

"Phase 2." Snipe uttered.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **BABABANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

"I'll clear this game with no continues!" Ex-Aid called.

"Proceeding with Bugster extermination." Brave said.

Then with that, both charged, while Snipe gave them covering fire. The Bugster was able to block Snipe's bullets, but was then overtaken by Brave and Ex-Aid's counter attack. Snipe also went in to assist.

The SAO gang now arrived. They saw what was going on. Lazer was fighting the Black Ex-Aid, while Ex-Aid, Brave, and Snipe were fighting the Bugster.

"Uh… Who do we help?!" Klein asked.

Kirito was about to speak up, but Brave was able to stop him.

"You kids shouldn't be here!" He shouted "Run!"

But just as he said that, he was knocked in the face, by the Bugster. Snipe caught him, but then the Bugster launched its fist at them. Snipe was able to dodge it, but Brave took the punch straight to his chest, cancelling him out of his transformation automatically.

 **GASHUNN!**

Meanwhile, Lazer was trying to fight the black Ex-Aid, but he was too powerful for him. Despite this, he still taunted him.

"I know who you are~!" He teased.

This triggered the black Ex-Aid. He then wasted no time of absolutely owning Lazer. The hurt he brought him consisted of kneeing him in the chest, kicking him straight across his face, and finally, ramming him straight into a flight of convenient stairs. That was enough for him to cancel out of his transformation automatically.

 **GASHUNN!**

The black Ex-Aid then made it towards the SAO gang. Everybody but Kirito actually stepped back in fear. Kirito only drew his sword as an act of defiance.

" _ **S**_ _u_ _c_ **h** b _ **r**_ _ **a**_ _v_ **e** _r_ y." The black Ex-Aid said. " _N_ **o** w, _f_ _ **i**_ **g** _h_ **t** _m_ e."

"Sure." Kirito replied. "I wanted to fight you anyway, thief."

The black Ex-Aid scoffed.

" _I_ **b** e _l_ **i** _e_ _ **v**_ **e** _y_ o **u** _'_ _re_ _**m**_ _i_ **s** t _ **a**_ _k_ **i** _n_ g w _ **i**_ **t** _h_ _**s**_ o **m** _e_ _ **o**_ **n** _e_ _e_ **l** s _e_." He replied.

Then, he looked back. There, walked in a man. He was in a brown cloak that cover his left arm and torso, while his right arm sleeve was green. He also had brown pants that stopped just short of his ankles, as they were covered by his black shoes.

"Who are you?" Kirito asked.

The man summoned an item. It was the weapon that the black Ex-Aid used to pummel them during their first encounter.

"Why does he have that?" Asuna asked.

The man ignored her question. He pressed the A Button. A standby sound began to resonate from the item. Then, pulling out his right arm, he attached the item on it.

"Baiou." He stated.

 **INFECTION!**

 **LET'S GAME! BAD GAME! DEAD GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **THE BUGSTER!**

The man that used to stand there was now replaced by monster. Well, sort of. The monster had a humanoid look to it. He was green, and had a dragon-esque face to it. His left arm had scales for armor and his right arm was covered by that item from before. He also had a brown sash tied around his waist, which were held by a belt.

Snipe disengaged from the Bugster and saw what just happened.

"Graphite…" He snarled. "It was YOU?!"

That's when he just began shooting like a madman. Sinon took notice. The monster, now known as Graphite, just summoned a blade to counter the bullets. Snipe then began to dash forward, still shooting. Graphite continued blocking the bullets until they were close enough. Graphite then slashed him across his waist. Then, he slashed across his back. Snipe tumbled onto the ground. Graphite raised his blade into the air, which the blade glowed in response.

" **Raging Dragon's Fang**!" He shouted.

Snipe thought fast, as he quickly closed his Driver.

 **GACHANN!**

Graphite slash to the left, then to the right, creating an X-Shaped energy slash. However, Snipe had reverted back to Lv. 1, which thankfully was able to shield him enough to squeeze in one final attack. That attack was several shots to the head, but Graphite dodged them, and just slugged him right in his chest. Snipe was knocked into a tree, his transformation cancelling out automatically.

 **GASHUNN!**

The SAO gang looked in horror. Ex-Aid was still busy fighting the Bugster. The other three Riders were taken out of commission. Graphite then looked at them.

"We have to fight!" Asuna said, pulling out her rapier.

And one by one, Asuna and the others began to attack Graphite. Graphite chuckled, but he also attacked as if he had felt pity almost.

Kirito was still standing with the black Ex-Aid. This was a very interesting conversation.

" _Y_ **o** u a _r_ **e** _a_ n **i** _n_ t _e_ _ **r**_ _e_ _ **s**_ _t_ **i** n _g_ **o** n _e_ , _K_ **i** r _ **i**_ _t_ **o**." The black Ex-Aid told him. " Y **o** _u_ _s_ _ **o**_ **m** _e_ **h** o _w_ _a_ **r** e _**a**_ _b_ **l** e _t_ **o** _w_ **i** t _ **h**_ s _t_ **a** _n_ **d** _a_ **n** y _ **t**_ **h** _i_ **n** _g_ **t** h _i_ _ **s**_ **g** a _m_ _ **e**_ **t** h _r_ **o** _ **ws**_ a _t_ **y** o _u_."

"Well, I guess it's SAO immunity?" Kirito joked.

But that did something. The black Ex-Aid darted forward and grabbed Kirito by his neck. Slowly, he began to lift him. Kirito was now wiggling in pain, trying to free himself. He threw his swords to his side, and grabbed the Black Ex-Aid's arm, trying to break free.

" _T_ **h** a _ **t**_ **i** _m_ m _ **u**_ _n_ **i** **t** _ **y**_ _i_ **s** **c** a _n_ _c_ _ **e**_ r _ **o**_ **u** _s_ **t** o _**m**_ **y** _g_ **a** m _ **e**_." He said. " _Y_ o **u** **a** _ **n**_ _d_ _y_ **o** _u_ _ **r**_ _f_ **r** i _ **e**_ _n_ **d** _s_ _a_ **r** e p **a** _r_ **a** _ **s**_ _i_ **t** _e_ **s** _t_ **h** _ **a**_ t **h** _ **a**_ _v_ **e** d _ **o**_ **n** _e_ _n_ **o** _ **t**_ h **i** _n_ g **b** u _t_ _p_ _i_ **s** s _a_ **w** _ **a**_ y _m_ **y** **w** _o_ _r_ _ **l**_ _ **d**_."

With that said, he then threw Kirito to the ground. Kirito looked up, but he couldn't gather the strength to pick himself up and fight.

" **L** _e_ t **t** _h_ _i_ **s** **b** _e_ a _w_ **a** r _n_ **i** _n_ g t **o** y _o_ **u**." The black Ex-Aid said. " _I_ **f** **y** o _u_ _**w**_ _a_ **n** t t _o_ _**f**_ _i_ g _h_ **t** _m_ e, **b** _y_ **a** _l_ l m **e** _a_ _ **n**_ s."

The black Ex-Aid tossed both of his swords to him. Kirito struggled to pick himself up, then the swords. He then charged. He used all of his remaining strength to focus on his attack. He roared as he charged the attack. Then, he darted forward. He slammed both of his swords onto him, but the black Ex-Aid had no scratch on him.

" _H_ **o** w _p_ i **t** _i_ **f** u _l_." He remarked.

Kirito quickly glanced at Asuna, who was getting decimated by Graphite with the others. Taking notice, he thrusted his palm into Kirito's abdomen, sending him right into Asuna.

"Kirito!" Asuna called, checking Kirito over. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… I'll live." Kirito smiled.

" **W** _e_ **h** _a_ v **e** w **a** _s_ **t** e _d_ _e_ **n** o _u_ **g** h t _i_ m **e**." The black Ex-Aid said. " **G** _r_ a _p_ **h** i _t_ _ **e**_.  E _ **l**_ _i_ m _i_ **n** _a_ **t** e t **h** e _m_."

Graphite smiled evilly.

" **With pleasure**." He said.

Graphite then pushed the rest of the SAO gang off of him. He punched Leafa and Klein right next to Asuna and Kirito, whilst doing the same to Lisbeth, Silica, and Sinon, albeit to their left. He raised his blade high into the sky, which caused the blade to crackle with lightning and glow.

" **Dragon Fury**!" He shouted.

But when he was about to unleash his strike, the Bugster knocked into him. That caused him to drop his blade and tumble down.

"What in the-?" He shouted before hearing something.

 **MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!**

Ex-Aid popped in from out of nowhere, hammer raised over his head. Putting all of his strength, he smashed the hammer straight into the Bugster, causing an explosion. From the smoke, Serado, the player that the Bugster infected, flew out. Klein was able to run over and catch him while Ex-Aid stood from the smoke, triumphantly holding a Gashat.

"Don't you go forgetting about me!" He smiled.

Graphite knew this wasn't going to end well, so he decided to leave, vowing vengeance.

"You didn't think I'd clear it, did ya?" Ex-Aid taunted.

The black Ex-Aid chuckled.

" _I_ **w** a _s_ _h_ **o** p _ **i**_ **n** _g_ **y** o _u_ _w_ **o** u _ **l**_ d **c** _l_ **e** _a_ _ **r**_ _i_ t **a** _n_ y **w** _a_ y." The black Ex-Aid said. "E _x_ **-** A _i_ **d** , _h_ **o** w _a_ **b** o _u_ **t** _**a**_ **o** _n_ e- _o_ **n** - **o** _n_ e?"

"Sounds good!" Ex-Aid said cheerfully. "After I beat you, I'm finding out who you are!"

With that said, he pressed the Gashat.

 **GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

From a project screen behind, a floating miniature robot appeared next to him. It made beeping sounds before floating towards the black Ex-Aid. It hit him a couple times before Ex-Aid ordered it back.

He then closed his driver back up and inserted the Gashat.

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

"Dai Dai Dai Henshin!" He announced, opening the Driver back up.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **BUTTOBASE TOTSUGEKI! GEKITOTSU PUNCH! GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

The robot disassembled itself. Its parts flew onto Ex-Aid. The main body threw itself onto Ex-Aid, giving body armor. Its arms attached together and inserted itself into Ex-Aid's left arm. And finally, the armor flipped out something. A headpiece. It attached itself to Ex-Aid's forehead, giving him a V-shaped head ornament.

"Ex-Aid: Level Up!" Poppy shouted in excitement.

"So that's Level 3…" The other Riders groaned.

The black Ex-Aid prepared himself. Ex-Aid lifted his gauntlet, impressed. But he quickly turned his attention to the black Ex-Aid.

"Let's rumble!" He said.

With that, he began to walk up to the black Ex-Aid slowly. The latter first launched a punch, but that proved fruitless, as the armor was too thick to go through. Ex-Aid just punched him off of himself. The black Ex-Aid retaliated with another swift round-kick, but that yielded the same result as the punch. Ex-Aid responded with another punch. This time though, that punch sent him back a few feet. Ex-Aid smirked, inserting the Gekitotsu Robots Gashat into the slot on the side, as well as pressing the button.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Ex-Aid then cocked his arm back. And as the fist glowed with energy, he pressed the button once more.

 **GEKITOTSU CRITICAL STRIKE!**

Ex-Aid launched the fist. It flew straight into the black Ex-Aid's open torso. The impact, with the fist still digging into his torso, sent him into a tree. Ex-Aid ran towards them and slammed his hand into the gauntlet. That triggered an explosion right before him. The several trees behind the tree itself were gone, but the black Ex-Aid was gone as well. The smoke cleared to reveal just that. Ex-Aid looked around, but couldn't find him.

"Hey! Where did ya go?!" He shouted.

He sighed, and cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Ex-Aid reverted back into his Salamander body, and quickly made his way to the SAO gang.

"Are you all okay?" He asked.

"Yeah… we'll live." Lisbeth answered.

The other Riders hobbled over and helped everyone up.

"Aren't you a bunch of tough cookies?" Lazer teased.

"Shaddup." Klein remarked.

Snipe only helped them up, and left right after. Brave left shortly after, followed by Lazer. Ex-Aid stayed with them a bit longer, before leaving as well.

"Well, today was really something." Klein commented.

"Yeah…" Leafa responded.

Kirito stayed quiet. He was thinking about something.

"Kirito?" Asuna asked.

Kirito stayed silent. A few moments later, he spoke up.

"Guys." He said. "I need to talk to you about something."

The SAO gang turned and listened in as Kirito explained what he was thinking.

As nightfall fell on the horizons of ALO, a city was thriving. In the midst of it all, the black Ex-Aid was limping his way to a nearby alley. Note, his Rider Gauge is at the last 10%. After he made it, bumping more than a few players out of his way, he cancelled out his transformation, breathing heavily.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

An Undine now took the place where the black Ex-Aid stood. He was breathing heavily. He held his head, out of both joy and disbelief. He cackled quietly.

"They're both truly something to behold…" He thought aloud.

"Come on, you knew that from the start!" chimed in a voice.

Pallad stood up from a crate nearby. Graphite was leaning on a wall, but didn't say anything.

"You sure they won't be a problem?" Pallad asked.

"You can be certain of that." The Undine said. "They may think they're game masters; in truth, I'm the game master. I will rule over them all!"

Pallad chuckled. "This game just keeps getting interesting!"

"Kamen Rider… Genmu." He added cheekily.

The Undine smiled evilly. It was a smile that would even make the Joker proud.


	13. Feel the Beat

Chapter 13: Feel the Beat

Dan sat in his office. He was busily typing something on his computer. The screen had blueprints of the Ex-Aid suit in both Levels 2 and 3.

Pallad was bouncing a ping pong ball, while Graphite was pacing back and forth on a screen.

"This is considerable amount of battle data." Dan said. "It will prove most useful."

"Yes. It will." Graphite added. "But my brethren have been defeated. How much longer must I endure this pain?!"

"Jeez, relax, man!" Pallad chimed in. "You can't force a puzzle open like this! You have got to be patient."

Graphite scoffed, and just left.

"Well, what are you going to do about him?" Pallad asked.

"He could do whatever he wants." Dan replied. "His short temper will be his undoing."

Pallad smiled.

"You. Are REALLY sneaky, you know that?" He commented.

Dan just smiled, and press the 'enter' key.

 **I've gotta believe!**

(A circle camera shot of Kirito and Asuna, back to back, looking around, as the world pixelates and revealing the title)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(The SAO gang talking together)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why?**

(The floor suddenly crash and all of them fall, their bodies pixelating into their SAO avatars)

 **Kizukeba I came too far**

(They slowly get up, looking around the pitch blackness)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The world shatters into color with the Riders walking behind them)

 **The new beginning**

(Each Rider show their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The SAO gang prepare to fight)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The Riders go Level 2)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(The Gamer Driver lever turns)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid VS Kirito and Asuna)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Brave VS Silica and Lisbeth, Snipe VS Sinon and Leafa)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(In an explosion, Lazer tears by with Ex-Aid riding)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Brave, Snipe, and Lazer go into Level 3)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Ex-Aid also goes into Level 3, and does a rocket punch)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Graphite VS the SAO gang)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid VS Genmu)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Sinon (GGO) and Snipe raising their guns to their faces)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Asuna and Brave clashing swords)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Kirito & Ex-Aid run towards each other as the title appears)

Kirito had now just finished telling them about the process of how the Kamen Riders became how they are now.

"Wait, wait." Klein reiterated. "So, you're saying in order to fight these Bugsters, we have to take a _surgery_?"

"I guess that's the shorter version." Kirito shrugged.

"And doing so, we would be able to deal with the higher-ups of the Bugsters, but at the risk of losing our lives?" Lisbeth asked.

"Yeah…" Kirito answered.

What followed was a silence.

"I've already made up my mind." Kirito stated. "I can't just sit by while other people are throwing themselves into a near suicidal position. I'm taking the surgery."

Asuna sighed, and stood up.

"I'm doing it too." She replied.

Everyone looked on at Asuna.

"I can relate to Kirito here." She explained. "Back in Sword Art Online, he risked a lot. In addition, I was always by his side."

She then walked over beside him.

"I'm doing it too." Asuna concluded.

Another silence ensued. Everyone else was busily making a decision.

"Well, I can't let you love birds have all the fun!" Lisbeth smiled.

"I will also help!" Silica replied.

"If this will help the world, I'm in!" Leafa said.

"Let's do it." Sinon chimed in.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Klein added.

Kirito and Asuna looked at their friends. They are eager to help out.

"You guys don't have to do this." He said sheepishly.

"Well, what kind of friends would we be if we just let you try and kill yourself?" Klein joked.

Kirito smiled. He looked at Asuna, who smiled back, then he looked at his friends.

"Thank you." He said.

Later, in the real world, Asuna was sitting patiently in a nearby café. She was dressed nicely, with a long skirt that stopped right below her knees, and jacket over a shirt. She was wearing some nice shoes. She appeared to be waiting for someone.

"Sorry, I'm late." Said a voice.

That voice belonged to Hiro Kagami, Kamen Rider Brave. He was dressed professionally, complete with shirt, vest, and tie. Over it all with a jacket as well.

"It's okay!" Asuna said cheerfully. "Here, have a seat."

Hiro sat when the waitress came for orders. They both ordered a strawberry cake slice. They spoke quietly before their cake slices arrived.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Hiro asked.

Asuna put down her fork. Her face turned serious.

"We talked to the CEO." She said. "We're helping you with the Bugsters."

"What does that have to do with me?" Hiro asked.

"Weren't you a surgeon?" Asuna asked. "I'm asking you to operate on all of us."

Hiro gently put down his fork. His face turned serious.

"You do realize what kind of risks you're taking, right?" He asked.

"Yes." Asuna replied. "My friends and I talked it over, and we've decided: We're going to help you. So please, would you do the operation?"

Hiro stared at Asuna. By the look in her eyes, she wasn't messing around.

"I'm afraid I can't accept your offer." He stated blindly.

"Why is that?" Asuna asked.

"I know you kids are trying to help, and we fully appreciate it." Hiro explained. "But we can't have civilians throwing in their lives for us."

Then he slowly stood up.

"Besides..." He whispered before setting off. "I've already lost enough…"

Asuna walked after him, but as soon as she set foot outside of the café, Hiro was long gone.

A little while later, Asuna was in ALO with her friends. They appeared to be going somewhere, but Asuna had something else in mind. She was still contemplating about what Hiro had said to her.

'What did he lose…?' She thought.

But that's when she walked straight into a tree, landing on her bottom. Everyone turned around just in time to see that and laugh.

"Okay, who put this tree here?" She complained.

Kirito chuckled as he helped his girlfriend up.

"C'mon, miss." He smiled.

Asuna quietly hobbled along for the rest of the journey. Soon after, they found themselves in the same place they were just a few days ago. The only difference is that it was crowded with players and NPCs.

"Hey, isn't this the place where we fought that Serado guy?" Liz asked.

"Yeah, it is." Kirito answered.

"Why are we back here for?" Liz asked again.

Yui then flew out of Kirito's pocket.

"There was something odd about him." She explained. "If you recall, the Bugster that Serado had infected was trying to harm another player."

They now called back. The Bugster was trying to harm another player. Noted, that the player was female.

"Now, I did some research." Yui went on. "The player's name was Dawn, and according to the server, both her and Serado are married."

"Another married player-couple, huh?" Klein remarked.

"Don't get any ideas." Sinon quickly replied.

"I want to know why he was attacking her." Yui stated.

"We should find her, maybe both of them here, as their common appearance seems to be here." Kirito continued. "Let's split up and search."

"Or we could just look to our north." Leafa said, pointing in front of her.

Kirito and Yui turned around and just saw the aforementioned players. They seemed to be talking together about something.

"Well, that narrows our search." Kirito commented.

They walked over to Serado and Dawn. But as they approached them, Serado stood up and walked away.

"What happened?" Klein asked.

"Looks like a lover's quarrel." Liz said.

"Let's have a look." Kirito suggested.

They slowly approached Dawn. She appeared to be distraught.

"Oh, it's you!" She said. "Thank you for the other day."

"Happy to help." Silica smiled.

Asuna was still quiet. Leafa noticed this, and quickly said something.

"Asuna?" Leafa asked. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." Asuna replied hesitantly.

Dawn continued to talk with Kirito and the others.

"So what was that… thing that attacked yesterday?" She asked.

Kirito was about to answer, but something cut off his train of thought. A jolt of electricity worked its way to Dawn's head. She then held her neck and fell on her knees.

"Hey, you okay?" Klein asked.

But it was too late. Dawn's eyes glowed yellow, then orange ooze came out of her body. It took over her, and it gave her a new form. It looked the same as Serado, with black boxes and gears and whatnot, but instead of the armor being red, it was neon yellow. And instead of a gauntlet, it had a scratchboard on her right arm.

"Bugster!" Kirito shouted.

Dawn then kicked Kirito out of her way. Then it began to walk away.

"Hey, get back here!" Klein shouted, running after it.

Or, at least until he was met with a kick to the face. Klein recovered, and standing in front of the Bugster, was Graphite.

"I will not let you harm my kind again." He said, pulling out his gauntlet.

"Everyone, get ready." Kirito told his friends, raising both swords. "Yui, find somewhere to hide."

"Yes!" Yui replied. She then took to behind a building.

Graphite pressed the A Button. He then attached it to his hand.

"Baiou." He stated.

 **INFECTION!**

 **LET'S GAME! BAD GAME! DEAD GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **THE BUGSTER!**

Graphite mutated into his Bugster form. He summoned his weapon, and charged.

"Get ready!" Kirito shouted.

But Graphite was stopped by a random sword that flew out of nowhere.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Everyone looked to their side and saw Ex-Aid and Brave on top of a building, Gamer Drivers on and Gashats on hand.

"You children leave this one to us!" Ex-Aid smirked.

"You handle the other Bugster!" Brave ordered.

Then, they both posed and transformed.

"Henshin!" Ex-Aid shouted.

"Henshin." Brave said smoothly.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Both of their figures were replaced by their chibi figures. They quickly leveled up to fight, but Ex-Aid leveled up farther with his brand new Gekitotsu Robots Gashat.

 **GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

Ex-Aid then inserted it into the free slot in his Gamer Driver.

 **GASHATTO!**

"Dai Dai Dai Henshin!" Ex-Aid smiled.

"Proceeding to level 2." Brave announced.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **BUTTOBASE TOTSUGEKI! GEKITOTSU PUNCH! GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

Brave turned into his much sleeker form, while Ex-Aid not only turned into his slimmer form, but also got the extra armor and gauntlet. They then proceeded to attack Graphite, who welcomed the challenge.

Meanwhile, the SAO players have engaged the Bugster as instructed by Brave. They were doing everything they can, but this was a higher level Bugster, so they weren't able to do much.

"Come on! Let's party!" The Bugster hollered.

It put one of its hand s on his ear and then mimicked a DJ scratching. Musical notes then slowly floated towards them, with some bubbles here and there.

 _(Insert Excite DJ Style)_

"What is this?" Kirito asked.

Poppy flew in from behind.

"Follow the rhythm to the beat!" She advised.

"Rhythm?" Klein commented.

But as the music notes landed on their bodies, there were error sounds and "MISS!" effects.

"What are we supposed to do with this?" Liz asked herself.

Then she turned to her side. She was stunned by what she saw. Silica was moving in beat to the music. She was getting "GOOD!" and "GREAT!" effects in contrast to everyone else's "MISS!" effects.

Silica was also doing pretty well. She was side-stepping, kick-stepping, and even twirling to the incoming music notes. Her coordination was superb. In fact, she did a cute little pose at the end of the music with "PERFECT!" right over her head. In contrast to that, everyone got a "MISS!" and their bodies just blew up.

"Everyone!" She shouted.

Then, she got her dagger and immediately began to attack the Bugster.

"We have to help!" Liz suggested.

"Agreed!" Asuna said.

"Let's do this!" Klein shouted.

They all drew their weapons and rushed to help Silica. Kirito looked to his side. Graphite were now pushing back Ex-Aid and Brave.

"Guys!" He yelled. "Can you handle this?"

"Uh, okay!" Klein yelled back.

Kirito nodded, and grabbed Sinon.

"Hey, where are we going?" She asked.

"Help." Kirito replied.

Meanwhile, Ex-Aid and Brave were still fighting Graphite. Brave was getting the full brunt of the blow, as he is not on par with Graphite. However, thanks to Ex-Aid, he was able to stand somewhat of a chance. Ex-Aid went for an uppercut, which Graphite was able to tank, but it did send him back a bit.

" **So this is the power of Level 3…** " He said.

"There's more where that came from, buddy!" Ex-Aid laughed.

Brave then charged. He slashed across Graphite's body and leg, but Graphite only responded with a whack from his staff. Brave landed on his back. Ex-Aid covered him as Graphite moved onto his next attack.

" **Dragon Slash!** " He shouted.

But that's when an arrow landed on his hand. Although not taking any damage, it did interrupt him. He scoffs as he sees Sinon and Kirito behind the Riders.

"I thought I ordered you to handle the other Bugster!" Brave shouted.

"We don't take orders, remember?" Kirito smirked.

Then, he charged. Swords in hand, he jumped and twirled. He slashed Graphite, but no effect. Graphite only grabbed him by his shoulder and picked him up.

" **I don't know work like that here!** " Graphite taunted.

He thrusted Kirito into Sinon, knocking them back. Graphite then slowly approached them to attack, but was met by another projectile. Snipe was walking slowly towards him.

"Consider this payback!" He yelled.

Sinon took notice of this again.

Then, Snipe and Graphite began punching each other furiously. At some point, the Bugster was thrown into the mix, so they began fight the opposition here too.

From afar, stood an Undine. He also had a Gamer Driver on. He put his staff away, and pulled out a Gashat. He pressed it, activating a game field.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

A purple game field spread out the area. Then, with only finger on the handle, he inserted the Gashat into the Driver.

"Henshin." He said.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

A chibi figure replaced the Undine. It had black hair with red eyes. You know who this is.

Meanwhile, the SAO players, along with the three Riders are still busily fighting Graphite and the Bugster. Snipe kept shooting at Graphite, with unwanted (by him) assistance from Sinon with her bow. Brave and Ex-Aid flip-flopped from Graphite and the Bugster, as they were trying to equal damage to both Bugsters.

That's when a bike wheel twirled towards them. It grinded on Brave's torso, sending him back. Then the wheel turned to Ex-Aid, but he was able to knock the wheel away. They looked up and saw the black Ex-Aid standing in between them and the Bugster.

" **S** _t_ a _n_ **d** _**d**_ **o** w _ **n**_." He ordered Graphite. " _I_ t **i** s _t_ oo _**e**_ _a_ **r** _l_ **y** _o_ f **a** _s_ **t** a **g** _e_ _f_ **o** r _y_ **o** u _t_ o f _i_ **g** h _ **t**_ _t_ **h** e _ **m**_."

Graphite scoffed and rested his blade on his shoulder.

" **Fine…** " He growled.

He then walked away. The Bugster also did a swag pose before leaving with him. The black Ex-Aid stared coldly at the players before him.

"U **n** _t_ **i** _l_ **w** e _m_ e _e_ **t** _a_ **g** a _i_ **n**." He said, before leaving as well.

Everyone just slowly recollected themselves. The Riders reverted to their human forms again.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Snipe scoffed, and walked away. Sinon quietly followed him.

"Thank you for the help…" Asuna said.

Brave didn't reply. He just looked at Asuna, then walked away. Ex-Aid had gone to look for the Bugster, telling the others that he'll message them once he found him.

"You did tell him, right?" Kirito asked.

"Uh… yeah." Asuna replied.

"Did he say yes?" Kirito asked again.

"Uh… not exactly." Asuna shrugged.

"Well, keep trying." Kirito requested. "He has to know that we can't get uninvolved anymore."

"Okay. I'll try!" Asuna perked up.

She sprouted wings, and then she flew after Brave.

"Well, should we help Ex-Aid with that Bugster?" Klein asked.

"Yeah, we should." Kirito agreed. "We'll have to split up. Leafa, take the north with Silica. Lisbeth, south with Klein, Sinon, you're with-"

He just realized that Sinon was gone.

"Hey, where'd Sinon go?" Kirito asked.

Everyone looked around. No one saw the pale blue Cait Sith anywhere.

Snipe was shooting cans he had set up from a distance. Each can rattled as they bounced off the wood stumps he set them up on. He scoffed as he picked them back up. He raised his gun, only to see the middle can get shot off by an arrow. He looked behind him and saw Sinon, with her bow up.

"Looks like you haven't lost your touch." Snipe chuckled.

Sinon didn't look amused. She simply walked closer to him.

"That Bugster…" She began. "You seem to have some history with it."

Snipe looked glum.

"It's not a day I like to remember…" He said.

"Who did that Bugster infect?" Sinon asked.

"You don't want to know." Snipe replied quickly.

He shot a can on the right and it bounced onto the ground.

"You're hiding something." Sinon realized. "Alright, out with it."

"Fine." Snipe sneered, putting down his gun. "When was the last time you kept in touch with your mother?"

Sinon was caught off guard by this question, but responded nonetheless.

"Uh… about two years ago?" She responded.

"And you know how a Bugster can become complete, as they say?" Snipe asked again.

"Yeah." Sinon responded. "They take over their host's bod-"

She stopped. She connected two and two together.

"Wait, are you saying that-?" She spluttered.

"Yep." Snipe shrugged. "Graphite took your mother."

Sinon's eyes narrowed at Snipe. She went for a punch, which Snipe blocked easily.

"You…" She whispered.

"Me?" Snipe said innocently.

Sinon pulled her fist back. She then walked away. She punched a tree on her way. Its leaves rustled from the impact.

"What did the tree do to you?" Snipe asked condescendingly.

Asuna had to admit. Brave was a hard man to follow. Anytime she got closer to him, he would turn around and slice a tree. She didn't know why. Asuna always had to duck for cover. Still, she was stubborn. Asuna quietly continued on following Brave.

They have now reached Undine territory. Brave scurried quickly to a small apartment, which he bought with some game money. Once he got in, he sat himself down on a chair. But, only seconds after, he stood up and opened his front door. Asuna fell flat on the floor.

"You are persistent." Brave scoffed.

Asuna laughed nervously, rubbing her head as well. Brave picked her up and guided her to his living room.

"Now, you better have a good reason for following me." Brave replied coldly, sitting down on a chair.

Asuna breathed in.

"I'm going to ask you again." She said. "Will you operate on us?"

Brave sighed at this question.

"And I'll answer again." Brave replied coldly. "The answer is no."

He stood up to get something, but Asuna was able to stop him.

"You lost someone to the Bugster already, didn't you?" She asked.

Brave froze when she said that. He slowly looked at her.

"What gave you that idea?" He asked.

"What you said before." Asuna stated. "That you've lost enough already…?"

Brave sighed. He had to unload this burden to someone.

"It was two years ago." He stated. "I was finishing my studies for my surgical internship."

"Was one of your patients infected with the Bugster?" Asuna asked.

"Yes." Brave replied. "She was a good friend of mine. Asada Yuko."

"Asada…?" Asuna pondered. "Wait, is she-?"

"Yes." Brave answered. "She is Sinon's mother. Snipe was tasked with handling the Bugster, but…"

"He didn't get to it, did he?" Asuna asked.

Brave clenched his fist.

"If I had gone instead of him…" Brave muttered.

Then, he felt something warm on his shoulder. That warm thing was Asuna's hand. Strangely, they were the same height right now. IR, Brave is actually taller.

"I'm sorry." She said warmly.

Just then, both of them received a message. It was Emu. They found the Bugster. Brave just threw Asuna off of him and bolted out of his apartment. Asuna also followed after him, quickly recovering.

Asuna and Brave flew towards the area of their message. Once landing, Brave put on his Gamer Driver and pulled out his Gashat. He pressed it.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

A sky blue game field materialized around the area with several treasure chests arranging themselves all over.

"Henshin." Brave said, inserting the Gashat into the Driver.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Brave was replaced by a chibi figure. But the chibi figure didn't last as he leveled up immediately.

"Proceeding to level 2." He said.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

The chibi figure is replaced by a slimmer figure. They arrived at the scene.

Kirito and his friends are fighting some goons that the Bugster had spawned. They were not hard to deal with, but the sheer number of them was the problem. Meanwhile, Ex-Aid was fighting the Bugster itself. While he was able to dodge and swerve its attacks, but the attack would always come straight back.

"Hold on!" Asuna shouted, grabbing her rapier.

She began to make her way to Kirito, but she was stopped by the figure of Graphite. He towered over her.

" **What can you do, girl?** " He asked.

Just then, Brave jumped in and slashed his wrist. Graphite stumbled a bit, but when Brave went for another swift strike, he was able to block it.

" **Such skill…** " He admired.

They broke off, sending Brave back a few feet.

" **Do you really want to do this, Brave?** " Graphite taunted. " **Considering how I took that girl's life before…** "

Brave froze when he said that. His hand began shaking, the sword rattling as well.

"You…" He began. "You took Yuko?!"

" **Yes.** " Graphite answered with a smile in his voice. " **And I'm damn proud of it!** "

That was enough to press Brave's berserk button. He yelled, and he struck at Graphite. But, too overcome with emotion, he wasn't striking with any thought. He was just swinging his sword like a madman. Graphite was amused by this. With one palm thrust, he pushed Brave off of him.

"Brave! Stop!" Asuna pleaded.

But Brave was too furious to listen to reason. He threw his sword at Graphite, and ran in with a punch. Graphite knocked the sword away, and only responded by picking up Brave by his neck and then throwing him again.

" **Now you can join her…** " He amused.

He raised his blade into the air, and three energy lines began to draw themselves.

" **Dragon Drill Horn!"** He shouted.

Brave struggled up to see the attack. Graphite slammed his blade downward and the strikes flew towards him. Brave shut his eyes, bracing himself. But, he heard a grunt. He saw Asuna trying to deflect the strike from Graphite. Her HP was dropping at an intense rate. But after a valiant try, the strike took the better of Asuna. It flung her towards a tree.

"Asuna!" Brave cried.

Kirito took notice, and immediately tried to get over to her, but the mooks prevented him doing so.

" **Not my target…** " Graphite shrugged. " **But I guess it's better than nothing.** "

Brave slowly stood up. Graphite scoffed and charged, but he was stopped by several arrows from behind him. Sinon stood before him.

"I'll deal with you right now!" She stated.

Graphite laughed, and obliged. While he was busy fighting with Sinon, Brave made his way to Asuna, and gently lifted her.

"What was that for?" He demanded.

Asuna groaned, but was able to answer.

"I think I know why you didn't want us to be operated on…" She whispered. "You're afraid to lose us, aren't you?"

"What?" Brave asked.

"IR, we are complete strangers…" She explained. "But you still looked out for us. When we met in Sword Art Online… this is no different…"

Asuna chuckled weakly, but groaned from the pain. Brave didn't say anything. He only took it upon himself to instill a healing spell. Asuna slowly got up.

"Thank you." She smiled.

Brave stayed quiet. He only turned and picked up his sword.

"Asuna!" Kirito shouted, running towards her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Kirito." Asuna assured. "But you should thank-"

She was about to say Brave, but the latter darted towards the Bugster, completely ignoring Graphite.

"What the-?" Ex-Aid muttered, looking to his side.

But that moment of ignoring got him nailed in the chin. He fell on his back, cancelling out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

But luckily, Lisbeth was able to catch him.

The Bugster laughed at its target's defeat, but it didn't pay attention to Brave. He took the opportunity and received a Speed power-up and a Power power-up. He quickly inserted the Gashat into his sword.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Preparing to strike, he ran towards the Bugster.

 **TADDLE CRITICAL FINISH!**

He slashed the Bugster right across its back. The Bugster yelled as it blew up. The Gashat that was stuck in its head flew into the air as Dawn, the player who was infected, fell unconscientious.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

Brave then caught the Gashat as it fell into his hands. Graphite took notice of this. Throwing Sinon off of him, he turned to face Brave.

" **To think you would clear it…** " He said.

Brave stayed silent, and only pressed the Gashat.

 **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

As soon as it did so, a small robot appeared next to him. It made a couple DJ board scratching sound effects, and then it sent musical notes at the mooks that were still around. The only thing they heard were the sound of "MISS!" and explosions. Klein, Leafa, and Silica were only scathed.

"Hey! A little warning next time!" Klein shouted.

Brave closed his Driver and inserted the Gashat.

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

"Proceeding to Level 3!" He said.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **DO-DO-DO-RE-MI-FA! SO-LA-SI-DO! OK!** **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

The robot split apart. The main body attached itself onto Brave's torso, giving him armor. Its legs attached together and attached onto his left shoulder, giving form to a speaker. Its arms attached together and attached onto his right arm, giving him a scratch pad. The helmet also has the form of punk hat worn properly with a visor and mike.

"Now, beginning Graphite extermination." He said.

" **I'd like to see you try!** " He shouted.

He then grabbed his blade and slashed at Brave, but Brave was able to dodge it, somehow making back to his place beside Asuna.

"Asuna, can you still fight?" Brave asked.

"I... think so!" Asuna said.

"Are you CPR certified?" Brave asked.

"Uh… yes?" Asuna answered nervously.

"Then follow my lead." Brave said.

Then, he walked towards Graphite. Slowly. Asuna did so as well, still confused. Brave then looked at his arm. He scratched the disc twice, and then one more time, he scratched the disc.

 _(Insert Excite DJ style)_

Then, Brave punched Graphite in the gut. That was followed by Asuna who kicked Graphite in the same place. Then, twirling around him, Brave elbowed him in the back. Asuna then struck Graphite in the chest three times. This went on for a good few seconds. And each hit Brave and Asuna got were met with "GREAT!" effects. To finish it off, both Brave and Asuna kicked Graphite in the stomach. That gave a loud "PERFECT!" for them.

Graphite stumbled onto his knee. He was flabbergasted by what he just endured.

"Uh…" Kirito uttered. "What just happened?"

"We used CPR rhythm!" Asuna called.

"CPR?" Leafa asked.

Brave ignored them, and just inserted his new Gashat into his sword.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Graphite growled and charged straight at Brave.

 **DOREMIFA CRTICAL FINISH!**

Brave slashed right through Graphite in an X shape. That caused Graphite to blow up, sending back several feet.

 **KAISHIN NO IMPATSU!**

" **Brave…** " Graphite uttered. " **I... will kill you!** "

Brave sighed in relief. He then cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Brave then looked at Asuna and the others.

"Okay…" Ex-Aid said, pointing behind him. "I'm gonna go now…"

"Stay." Brave ordered.

Ex-Aid froze. Brave looked at the SAO players. Their faces didn't lie.

"You all are aware of what this means?" He asked.

At first, the players didn't get what they meant, but when Asuna spoke up, they knew what he meant.

"Yes." She answered confidently. "Yes we are."

Brave smiled.

"Come to Seito University Hospital tomorrow." He told them. "We'll handle things there."

And with that, he flew away with Ex-Aid in tow. As they flew away, Asuna looked up at Brave.

"You did it." Kirito congratulated his girlfriend.

"It was nothing." Asuna shrugged.

 _A week later_

Asuna was on an operating table. She was about to get wheeled into the Bugster surgery. Kirito held her hand tightly. Shino, Rika, Keiko, Suguha, and Ryotaro were sitting nearby.

"Be safe, okay?" He asked.

"Don't worry, Kirito." Asuna assured. "I'll be fine."

With that, she was rolled in. Kirito could only watch as the doors closed. Suguha placed her hand on her brother's shoulder.

In the operating room, Asuna has been put to sleep. Hiro entered the room. Putting on his gloves, he knew what he had to do now.

"We will now begin Bugster-Immunity operation." He stated.


	14. Lies or Truths

Chapter 14: Lies or Truths

Kiriya is just sitting in a café, chilling with a cup of tea. Next to him, sat a briefcase. He had something to do for himself. In fact, despite working with GENM and the other Riders for as long as he has, he was still suspicious of Dan from day one. And ever since that day from a few weeks ago, his suspicion was proven correct.

"Huh…" He sighed.

Then, his phone buzzed. It was from Emu.

 _They're done. Wanna come?_

 _-Emu._

Kiriya sighed.

"Well, guess it's time to tell them." Kiriya sighed. "Not that they'll believe it, but I'll say it."

 **I've gotta believe!**

(A circle camera shot of Kirito and Asuna, back to back, looking around, as the world pixelates and revealing the title)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(The SAO gang talking together)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why?**

(The floor suddenly crash and all of them fall, their bodies pixelating into their SAO avatars)

 **Kizukeba I came too far**

(They slowly get up, looking around the pitch blackness)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The world shatters into color with the Riders walking behind them)

 **The new beginning**

(Each Rider show their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The SAO gang prepare to fight)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The Riders go Level 2)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(The Gamer Driver lever turns)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid VS Kirito and Asuna)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Brave VS Silica and Lisbeth, Snipe VS Sinon and Leafa)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(In an explosion, Lazer tears by with Ex-Aid riding)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Brave, Snipe, and Lazer go into Level 3)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Ex-Aid also goes into Level 3, and does a rocket punch)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Graphite VS the SAO gang)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid VS Genmu)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Sinon (GGO) and Snipe raising their guns to their faces)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Asuna and Brave clashing swords)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Kirito & Ex-Aid run towards each other as the title appears)

Kirito slowly opened his eyes. At first, he was blinded by the light that was placed above him. He looked beside him and saw Asuna.

"Kirito!" She greeted. "You're awake!"

"Heh, was I going anywhere?" Kirito chuckled.

Soon, everyone else huddled up beside him.

"You were the last one." Suguha stated. "Dr. Kagami should have you discharged by tomorrow."

"What about you guys?" Kirito asked.

"Dude, we all got the surgery _way_ before you." Ryotaro answered. "Why would we still be here?"

Just then, Hiro walked in. He was holding a clipboard.

"Just make sure you take care of yourselves." He said, not looking at them. "Don't come crying to me if you want to go back."

Kirito looked at him.

"Don't worry, we won't have any regrets." He stated.

Hiro only replied by handing a bottle of water.

"Alright, enough with the playing around!" Rika shouted. "Let's get to work!"

Kirito nodded and grabbed the nearby AmuSphere.

"See you on the other side, Kirito." Asuna said.

Kirito then slowly closed his eyes.

Kirito then opened his eyes to see the forests of ALO. He was about to stretch, but Yui popped out of his pocket and greeted him.

"Hello, Papa!" She said cheerfully.

"Hey, Yui." Kirito greeted.

"Welcome back!" Yui smiled. She then flew onto the top of Kirito's head. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Kirito assured. He then turned around and saw the rest of his friends.

"Nice to see you like this again." Lisbeth teased.

"Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Kirito joked.

Ex-Aid and Brave came to be as well. Brave was the first to speak up.

"Come on." He said. "We have work to do."

Kirito then pumped his fists and then followed everyone else.

They soon came to a bustling village by a river. The townspeople were going about their usual business, and several players were interacting together.

"Why are we here?" Leafa asked.

"I think I found a Bugster here!" Poppy answered.

"'You think'?" Sinon asked.

"Well… it's a hunch!" Poppy whined.

"And she's usually right." Ex-Aid backed up.

Then, they saw an old man. He was a player, and he was having difficulty moving about.

"Yui?" Asuna asked.

"Of course." Yui replied. She then closed her eyes and put her hands to her head. "The player name is Master. Age 60. Level 60."

"Oh boy." Klein shrugged. "An old man in a game like this? Not good to his health."

Silica and Leafa quickly rushed over to Master.

"Are you okay, sir?" Silica asked.

"Come on, we'll help you." Leafa assured.

Both of them helped Master to a nearby bench. He groaned as he sat down.

"Thank you, young missies." He smiled.

"Pardon me for asking…" Asuna spoke up. "What are you doing in a game like this?"

"Well, you see here." Master chuckled. "I run a factory. Sometimes the work can be a little bit too much. This is a good way to rest."

But when he said that, he then began to groan. He clenched his chest tightly. Then, orange blobs began to spew out of his body.

"Bugster." Brave said. "Get back. All of you!"

Everyone took several paces back, and prepared for the Bugster. However, something unusual happened again. The orange blobs did continue to spew out, but the blobs accumulated in two different spots in front of them. And the accumulation looked different from the other. One had a grey cape on its back and scabbard. It drew his sword and prepared to attack. The other had a jet turbine for an arm and a missile pod on the other. It also had a machine gun on one of its shoulders. Both had Gashats sticking out of their heads, one black and the other orange.

"Okay… that's new?" Klein commented.

Kirito charged first. He first went for the black Bugster. He blocked the downward slash, but then, bouncing the Bugster off of him, he striked right across the Bugster's abdomen. There was visible damage. The Bugster groaned.

"Looks like the surgery worked!" Kirito exclaimed.

He twirled his sword around and then continued to attack. Klein and Asuna went to help Kirito, while Sinon and the others went for the orange one. Ex-Aid and Brave both looked at each other and nodded. They pulled out their respective Gashats after putting on their Gamer Drivers.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

The robots from each games came to the battlefield. They both twirled around their Riders and floated to the air as both Riders inserted the Gashats.

 **GASHATTO!**

"Proceeding to Level 3!" Brave announced.

"Dai Dai Dai Henshin!" Ex-Aid chanted.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **BUTTOBASE TOTSUGEKI! GEKITOTSU PUNCH! GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **DO-DO-DO-RE-MI-FA! SO-LA-SI-DO! OK!** **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

Brave and Ex-Aid were soon in their Rider forms, as well as the robots becoming their armor. Then, they set off in two directions. Ex-Aid went to helped Kirito, Asuna, and Klein, while Brave set off towards Sinon's party.

Kirito blocked another slash from the Bugster, and Klein used the opening to strike across the Bugster's back. The Bugster turned around to attack Klein, and Asuna used that opening to get into the air. But as she came down, a robot fist went past her, knocking her off balance. She did stick the landing though. The Bugster bounced off of Klein, and sent it into the ground.

"Um, a little warning could help!" Asuna complained.

"Hey, it did its job." Ex-Aid remarked.

He walked over to the Bugster. He saw the Gashat that was sticking out of its head.

"Girigiri Chambara?" He said to himself.

"Huh?" Klein said. "That samurai game?"

"Yeah." Ex-Aid explained. "It's a game where every slash is lethal."

The Bugster slowly got back up and began to attack the players.

"Hey, you guys can talk games later!" Asuna called.

Ex-Aid then rolled his arm and continued his attack.

Meanwhile, Brave, Sinon, and the others were handling the other Bugster. Surprisingly, they were doing pretty well. Despite the Bugster's many attempt at flight, Leafa was able to bind it to the ground with a flight-restriction spell.

Soon, both groups were able to pin both Bugsters to their backs.

"Looks like this is going to be an easy score!" Lisbeth taunted.

But she spoke too soon. As soon as she said that, a figure walked towards them. It was the black Ex-Aid in his Level 3 form.

"You again?!" Brave asked.

The black Ex-Aid just slowly raised his weapon at them.

" _I'_ **m** d _o_ **ne** _w_ **i** _t_ **h** _p_ **l** _a_ **y** **i** _n_ g ga _ **m**_ e _ **s**_." He said.

"Could say the same for you!" Ex-Aid pumped.

And with that, the Riders charged at the black Ex-Aid. That left the SAO players with the Bugsters. But the black Ex-Aid wasn't planning on staying. He only shot a couple lasers at both the players and the Riders, who all dodged. But by the time they recovered, the Bugsters and the black Ex-Aid were all gone.

"Where did they go?" Klein asked.

Brave and Ex-Aid sighed, and just cancelled out of their transformation.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Kirito, Asuna, and the others are now just sitting in a plain. Ex-Aid and Brave were just standing a bit far off.

"Looks like I missed the party." Commented a voice.

Everyone looked up and saw a familiar Sylph flying towards them. It was Lazer.

"You missed a lot, actually." Ex-Aid pouted.

"So, we have two Bugsters this time?" Lazer asked.

"Right." Brave replied. "They separated from the host. Player name Master. We have him quarantined right now."

"Quarantine?" Kirito asked.

"You heard me right." Brave said. "To prevent any further infections, we had to isolate him. He's held up in one of Ex-Aid's remote cabins in New Aincrad."

"Wouldn't it be a lot more dangerous up there?" Klein asked.

"Don't worry!" Poppy assured. "The place is pretty remote! No player ever comes near there."

"We have him separate, that's what that matters." Ex-Aid interrupted. "All we have to do now is to defeat the Bugsters."

"I'll volunteer for that orange one." Sinon stated.

Everyone just stared on at Sinon. This was completely out of nowhere.

"Where did this come from?" Lisbeth asked.

"I don't know…" Sinon wondered. "But I think that Bugster's mine to deal with."

"How so?" Brave asked.

"The Gashat it had in its head was Jet Combat." Sinon answered. "It's a game where you pilot fighter jets to destroy your opponents."

"And this correlates to you how?" Ex-Aid asked.

"You may not know this." Sinon explained. "Before I converted, I was the number one player in GGO. Shooting targets out of the sky was kind of natural instinct cover there."

That was her putting her foot down.

"Alright then!" Ex-Aid concluded, rubbing his hands together. "Sinon, you handle that Bugster, while we take care of the other one."

"Got it." Sinon agreed. "I'll leave right now."

She then turned and began to walk away. On her way, she just grabbed Leafa by her shirt and dragged her along.

"Wha- what?" Leafa blurted. "Sinon, what are you doing?"

"You're with me." Sinon replied.

With that, Sinon sprouted her wings and floated away, with Leafa dangling by shirt, flailing her arms and legs all over the place.

"Okay, that was weird. Even by her standards." Klein commented.

Lazer smiled and just sat down on a nearby log. He then opened up his menu and then scrolled through something.

"What's that?" Asuna asked.

"Hm?" Lazer grunted.

"You're still doing that, aren't you?" Brave reprimanded. "I told you. Going into a situation like this is out of our hands."

"Hey." Lazer pouted. "If you need to know, I've been digging into the mysteries of the Bugster!"

"Wasn't that the whole thing that went down 2 years ago?" Klein commented.

"Well, that is true." Lazer corrected. "But!"

"But?" Kirito asked.

"I recently discovered that the Bugsters date much farther back." Lazer explained. "I don't have the exact info on it, but my buddies are in the process of going into it."

"How are you able to this?" Silica asked.

"Hey, I know everyone around these parts." Lazer smirked. "As long as they can do it, I let them do it."

"Also, about that black Ex-Aid…" He added cheekily.

That got everyone's attention. They quickly crowded around Lazer.

"You know who he is?" Kirito asked.

"Yes." Lazer reassured. "Yes, I do."

Klein stepped up.

"It's that why you've been silent lately?" He asked.

"Well, things like this tends to make me a busy man!" Lazer joked.

Brave then shoved Klein aside.

"Enough wasting time." He stated. "Who is that black Ex-Aid?"

"Well… the answer may surprise you." Lazer began.

But, he didn't have time to finish it, as the Bugster just popped out of nowhere and attack the group.

"So you came to us, huh?" Ex-Aid pumped. "Big mistake!"

As the Kirito and his friends began to attack the Bugster, both Ex-Aid and Brave put on their Gamer Drivers and pulled out their Gashats.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

Then, they inserted their Gashats into their Drivers.

"Henshin!" Ex-Aid announced.

"Henshin." Brave said.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Their figures were now replaced in their chibi forms, but they didn't stay long like that.

"Dai Henshin!" Ex-Aid announced.

"Proceeding to Level 2." Brave said.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

Then, as their figures became slim and turned into their Level 2 forms, they summoned their weapons.

 **GASHACON BREAKER!**

 **GASHACON SWORD!**

The Riders grabbed their weapons and got ready to fight.

"Proceeding with Bugster extermination." Brave said.

"I'll clear this game with no continues!" Ex-Aid smiled.

Then they began to proceed towards the battle, but then, out of the sky, they were cut off by the black Ex-Aid.

"You never quit, do ya?!" Ex-Aid taunted.

"Kid!" Brave ordered. "You get to the Bugster! Send Asuna over here!"

"Got it!" Ex-Aid complied.

Ex-Aid then jumped over his black doppelgänger and ran to the Bugster. The black Ex-Aid aimed his weapon at him, but Brave cut him off.

"Your opponent is me!" He said.

Ex-Aid made his way over to the Bugster. He told Asuna to get over to Brave, to which she complied. She let Ex-Aid take her place, and then ran back towards Brave. The Bugster was slamming its swords down at its opponents. While it did receive damage, it was doing a good job of giving out damage as well. At one point, he just threw Kirito into the air with an upward backhand slash.

Lazer, who had taken cover, saw his chance. He put on his Gamer Driver, and pressed his Gashat.

 **BAKUSOU BIKE!**

He twirled around, and then inserted his Gashat into the Driver.

"Henshin…" He said smoothly.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

His figure was replaced by another chibi figure. He had his two wheel-weapons on hand, but he didn't spend any time in this form.

"Second gear!" He shouted.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **BAKUSOU! DOKUSOU! GEKISOU! BOUSOU! BAKUSOU BIKE!**

Lazer then transformed into his Level 2 form. The motorcycle. He roared his engine and sped toward the falling Kirito. He tore right through the fight between the black Ex-Aid and Brave-Asuna fight. But he was just in time to catch Kirito.

"Whoa!" He said. "Nice save!"

"Don't mention it, kid!" Lazer remarked. "Now, do you want to beat this guy or what?"

Kirito looked at the Bugster. Klein, Silica, Lisbeth, and Ex-Aid had done intense damage on the Bugster, and one more critical strike should be able to beat him.

"Let's do it." Kirito smirked.

Lazer grunted in agreement. Kirito twisted his handlebars, roaring the engines. And with three seconds of tire scrapping sounds, Lazer darted forward with Kirito riding him. As he got closer, he pulled out Lazer's Gashat, and inserted into the slot on the side, pressing the button as well.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

The Bugster was getting closer and closer. Kirito then stood up on top of Lazer, and drew his Elucidator and Excaliber. And once the Bugster was in range, Kirito crounched down, and pressed the button again.

 **BAKUSOU CRITICAL STRIKE!**

Both Kirito's blades glowed a yellow color. And with an X-shaped slash, Kirito sliced right through the Bugster. The Bugster roared and then was consumed by an explosion. And a Gashat flew out of the explosion and landed in Ex-Aid's hands.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

That sound interrupted the fight between the black Ex-Aid and Brave and Asuna. They all looked back to see Kirito on Lazer.

"Race – Finished!" Lazer cheered.

"Kirito!" Ex-Aid shouted.

Kirito looked up and saw Ex-Aid throw the Gashat at him. He caught it with one hand, then observed. He then pressed it.

 **GIRIGIRI CHAMBARA!**

A small robot that looked like a samurai then spawned into the area. It floated around Kirito and Lazer before floating up into the air.

Kirito then closed up Lazer's Gamer Driver.

 **GACHANN!**

"Third gear!" Lazer said.

"Here you go!" Kirito smiled.

He then inserted the Gashat into Lazer's Driver.

 **GASHATTO!**

"Thanks kid!" Lazer said.

"Here's looking at you!" Kirito then said, opening the Driver back up.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **BAKUSOU! DOKUSOU! GEKISOU! BOUSOU! BAKUSOU BIKE!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! CHAMBARA!**

Lazer then glowed. Kirito was prompted to go off then. Lazer then flipped around. The tires and wheel gear popped off and pixelated away, and then the samurai robot from earlier detached its limbs and head. Its arms turned into legs, and its legs turned into arms. They attached themselves in their appropriate places. Then, the torso and the headpiece were the only ones left. Lazer's bike face twisted around to become a head. That's where the headpiece ended up. The torso became a crotch armor.

Once the attachment sequence was complete, Lazer sighed a sigh of relief.

"Finally, somethin' humanoid!" He called.

"A samurai, eh?" Kirito observed.

"Heh!" Klein laughed. "Welcome to the club, buddy!"

Lazer shot a quick thumbs-up at Klein, but then he turned his attention to the black Ex-Aid.

"Now, time to play the truther game now…" He began.

Then, he said something the shocked everybody.

"GENM corporation CEO, Mr. Dan Kuruto." He bluntly stated.

Well, that was enough to cause everyone to question.

"What?!" Ex-Aid stuttered.

"What the-?" Kirito spluttered.

"Are you serious?" Klein asked.

"Huh?" Brave uttered.

Asuna, Lisbeth, and Silica was just speechless.

"And I have the evidence to back it up." Lazer smirked. "When we were fighting that Gekitotsu Robots Bugster, I saw his Avatar transform into him."

The black Ex-Aid said nothing. He just then pulled out and pressed his Shakariki Sports Gashat.

 **SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

The BMX bike appeared around him again. He then silently closed the Driver and inserted the Gashat into his Driver.

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

He then opened it back up.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N!** **X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **SHAKARIKI, SHAKARIKI, BAD!** **BAD! SHAKATTO, RIKITTO, SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

The bike landed on top of him again. He then looked on menacingly at Lazer.

"Guess I stunned ya, huh?" Lazer said. "Well, if you don't believe me, you know the old saying: Actions speak louder than words!"

 **GASHACON SPARROW!**

Then, a weapon appeared in Lazer's hands. It looked like a crossbow. He pressed its A button and split apart into two mini scythes.

 **ZU-PANN!**

He flipped one into the air, catching it again.

"Let me show you!" Lazer smirked.

Lazer then charged at the black Ex-Aid. The two began to exchange blows. They were currently fighting hand-to-hand right now. But, while the black Ex-Aid did do his best, Lazer was a lot more powerful than he thought. He jumped back a few feet and flipped his weapon around.

 **KER-POW!**

He then shot lasers at Lazer, who just dodged it effortlessly.

"Two can play at that game, bro!" He shouted.

He then put his two scythes together, turning it back into a crossbow.

 **ZU-DONN!**

He then pulled the trigger. An arrow whizzed by the black Ex-Aid's head. He was able to dodge it though. It was now a standoff between lasers and arrows. Both the black Ex-Aid and Lazer kept on exchanging shot after shot, until Lazer was able to get a lucky shot at the black Ex-Aid's chest. He fell on the ground in pain.

"Gotcha!" Lazer cheered.

He then pulled out the Chambara Gashat and inserted into the crossbow.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

The black Ex-Aid slowly got back up, but he wasn't able to anticipate the next move Lazer had for him.

"Try this on for size!" He cheered.

 **GIRIGIRI CRITICAL FINISH!**

Lazer then fired an arrow. But that arrow stopped a few inches in front of him. Then, it multiplied itself in horizontal direction, and soon there was multitude of arrows pointing viciously at the black Ex-Aid. Then, Lazer did a roundhouse kick at one of the arrows. That sent them all towards their target. A huge explosion ensued.

Amidst the explosion, the black Ex-Aid was sent out of his transformation. But then, Pallad pixelated in from him and blocked the explosion. Then he grabbed the Gamer Driver and thrusted the player that was the black Ex-Aid out of the way.

The explosion slowly began to clear. Everyone slowly crowded around Lazer.

"Are you ready for the reveal?" He asked the patrons.

Everyone didn't say anything. The smoke of the explosion dissipated. It revealed something rather… intriguing.

Pallad was just standing there, his side facing the Riders and the SAO players.

"And you are…?" Lazer asked.

Pallad turned and smiled at them.

"That was fun." He said, showing them the Gashat. "Let's play again sometime."

He then pixelated into the air. Lazer was dumbfounded by this. Everyone then began to frown towards him.

"Is this your idea of a joke?" Brave asked.

Lazer looked down. He, along with the other Riders, just cancelled out of their transformations.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

The Riders reverted back to their Avatars. Lazer looked down. He had his Gashats in his hands.

"Well?" Brave asked.

Lazer thought about what he was about to do. If it destroys them, he'll have to live with them.

He smirked, and then turned to them.

"Yep!" He laughed. "That was really good, wasn't it?"

"Figured." Brave nodded. "Nothing you do is ever true."

"I knew you were a liar, Lazer…" Ex-Aid sighed. "But this is something else."

Then, both of the Riders began to walk away. The SAO players were still trying to process what just happened.

"Thanks for the new Gashat." Lazer said to Kirito.

He then began to walk in a different direction.

"Let this be a lesson, kiddos." He said. "Make sure you can actually trust someone. Otherwise, he could turn sour like me."

He then disappeared into the yonder.

Asuna, Silica, and Liz walked off, followed by Kirito. Klein was the last to leave. But something bugged him.

Keep in mind, Lazer and Klein have now been friends for at least a while. They know what their personalities are like.

"This isn't you taking, man…" He whispered. "Just what's up?"

Meanwhile, an Undine was getting replenished in a nearby lake. Pallad pixelated right behind him.

"Y'know, you should be more careful about this stuff." He joked.

"Don't worry. I had it all planned out." The Undine sighed. "Now, Lazer has no one to turn to."

"But what about that Klein fellow?" Pallad asked.

"He's of little concern." The Undine said. "Just focus on the bigger picture."

Pallad smiled and then sat down on a rock. This puzzle of mystery is quite a ride.


	15. Soar High Pt 1

Chapter 15: Soar High Pt. 1

As everything in the previous chapter was happening, Sinon and Leafa were busily battling the Jet Combat Bugster. As of right now, the Bugster was gaining the higher ground.

"This thing is tough!" Leafa shouted.

Sinon drew another arrow. She aimed at the Bugster, but it was zipping back and forth.

"Leafa." She said.

"Yes?" Leafa replied.

"I'm going to get its back." Sinon explained. "Once I get it, I want you strike it straight down its head."

"Uh… okay?" Leafa complied, slowly raising her sword. "Will you signal me?"

"Mmhm." Sinon muttered.

The Bugster was then beginning to fly away. Sinon saw her chance. She aimed her bow. It was a clear shot.

" _Eck. Skete. Aftor. Ei._ " She chanted.

The arrow glowed, and she shot it. The arrow tore through the air, landing straight on the Bugster's back. Then, a line appeared between it and Sinon. With her might, Sinon yanked the line towards her, which thrusted the Bugster towards her.

"Leafa!" She yelled. "Now!"

Leafa took to the air. Her sword glowed as she prepared her strike. Once the Bugster was close, Leafa flipped and slashed her sword downward, straight down the Bugster. What resulted was an explosion. Leafa landed back on the ground as Sinon ran towards her.

An orange object fell from the sky. It landed in Sinon's hands. She looked at what it was.

"A Gashat?" Leafa asked.

"Mm." Sinon replied. "Jet Combat, to be precise."

Sinon looked at it with a gleeful look.

"What should we do with it?" Leafa asked.

"I'll hold onto it." Sinon replied. "Message Kirito. Tell him to meet at his log cabin."

"Right on it!" Leafa said.

From afar, the first person POV becomes a sniper scope. Snipe had been watching the whole time.

"Well…" He sighed. "Looks like they did the hard part."

He then stood up and walked away.

"Alright, Shino…" He whispered to himself. "I'll play your game…"

 **I've gotta believe!**

(A circle camera shot of Kirito and Asuna, back to back, looking around, as the world pixelates and revealing the title)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(The SAO gang talking together)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why?**

(The floor suddenly crash and all of them fall, their bodies pixelating into their SAO avatars)

 **Kizukeba I came too far**

(They slowly get up, looking around the pitch blackness)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The world shatters into color with the Riders walking behind them)

 **The new beginning**

(Each Rider show their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The SAO gang prepare to fight)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The Riders go Level 2)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(The Gamer Driver lever turns)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid VS Kirito and Asuna)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Brave VS Silica and Lisbeth, Snipe VS Sinon and Leafa)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(In an explosion, Lazer tears by with Ex-Aid riding)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Brave, Snipe, and Lazer go into Level 3)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Ex-Aid also goes into Level 3, and does a rocket punch)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Graphite VS the SAO gang)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid VS Genmu)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Sinon (GGO) and Snipe raising their guns to their faces)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Asuna and Brave clashing swords)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Kirito & Ex-Aid run towards each other as the title appears)

Sinon and Leafa hastily flew up down towards Kirito's log cabin. Once they have arrived, they ran inside.

"Whoa." Kirito assured. "No need to rush, we're not going anywhere."

Kirito gestured to his surroundings. Liz and Silica were having some tea. Klein was on the couch, thinking of something. Asuna was doing the same.

"Well, anyways, we got this." Sinon said.

She then scrolled down her item list and pressed something. The item pixelated into her hand, revealing the Jet Combat Gashat.

"A Gashat?" Kirito asked.

"We got it from that Bugster we fought a while ago." Leafa explained. "We wasted no time beating it!"

"In any case, I thought it would be best to tell you that I'll be holding onto this." Sinon continued.

Kirito looked puzzled.

"Why are you going to hold onto it?" He asked. "It's not like you can use it."

"I know…" Sinon muttered. "But the only other remaining person that is going to use this is Snipe."

She observed the Gashat closely.

"If anything…" She continued. "He'll do whatever it takes to get his hands on this."

There was a brief moment of silence. Sinon's face was very much serious.

"Alright." Kirito finally said. "Just look after yourself, okay?"

"Don't worry." Sinon assured with a wink. She then walked towards the living room, where everyone was silent as a still river.

"Uhh…" Leafa asked. "Did something happen?"

"Long story." Kirito groaned.

Night had fallen in the real world. But the GENM Corp building was alight. Dan was in his office, still typing in something. Pallad was just playing on his mobile device again, and Graphite was just sulking on a screen.

"You know." Dan started. "I could've gone to help you. I just chose not to."

"Why?!" Graphite roared.

"You acted because of your own hot head." Dan stated. "Consider your beating your punishment."

Graphite scoffed, and just walked away from the screen.

"You really think he's going to stop there?" Pallad asked.

"Of course not." Dan answered. "He never knows when to quit."

"You got that right." Pallad agreed.

"Oh yeah!" He said suddenly. "What are you going to do with those?"

He pointed at something. Dan looked to where he was pointing. It was a black case. He opened it up and found ten black USBs.

"The Proto-Gashats?" He asked. "I was planning to put them into storage; seeing as I have no use for them anymore."

Then, there was a phone ringing. Dan rolled over to the phone to pick it up.

"GENM Corporation, CEO Dan Kuroto speaking." He replied.

"Yo, prez!" hollered a familiar voice. "What was that BS?"

Pallad smiled at the voice. Dan smiled as well.

"You are aware, my friend." Dan said. "I have to keep my identity confidential."

Meanwhile, Kiriya was leaning on a pillar. He had a lot on his mind to speak out of.

"If you really wish to meet me." Dan continued. "Log into ALO tomorrow. I'll tell you the location."

"Alright then." Kiriya answered. "I'll be waiting!"

With that, he hung up. He smirked to himself, and began to head out. Unbeknownst to him though, he walked past Ryotaro. Ryotaro noticed, but Kiriya didn't.

'Kiriya…' Ryotaro thought.

It was another morning in ALO. Birds chirping and whatnot. Meanwhile, New Aincrad was in a world of its own. Especially the Kirito log cabin.

As of right now, Asuna is making some tea for her, Kirito, and Yui, who was in her normal size. Once she was done, she hummed as she hobbled over to the living room counter.

"So, this whole Bugster thing has been really getting to us, hasn't it?" Asuna smiled.

"I guess you could say that." Kirito agreed.

Yui just sipped her tea silently.

"Yui?" Asuna asked. "Are you okay?"

"Hm?" Yui began. "Yes, yes, I'm fine."

"Have you doing research on the Bugster?" Kirito asked.

"Well…" Yui stammered.

"You've been keeping yourself busy?" Kirito added.

"Yes." Yui answered. "But it's strange. The more I research, the further back I get. There's also…"

"Also…?" Kirito asked.

Yui then began to whimper.

"Both you and mommy have taken the surgery to fight the Bugster." She said. "If either of you were to fall, I would be all alone! And there's also-"

She was cut off by Asuna's warm arms.

"Don't' worry, Yui." She assured in her motherly voice. "We're not going anywhere."

"Yep." Kirito chimed in, also hugging his in-game wife and child. "We'll be just fine."

Yui whimpered silently into her parents' arms. Kirito and Asuna felt warm. Having their child worry about them at this level… it was very reassuring. She has certainly evolved from her early days in SAO. Also, this hugging gave them all a sootheing feeling. They could've stayed like this for hours.

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

Suddenly, oil barrels set themselves up all over the area. Kirito and Asuna both got up and ran outside. They got out just in time to see Snipe transforming.

"Henshin…" He said coolly.

He twirled his Gashat around and inserted it into his Gamer Driver.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

His figure was replaced by the chibi figure that is his Level 1 form, but, as per usual, he didn't go with this form.

"Phase 2." He announced, opening his Driver.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **BABABANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

The chibi figure disappeared and was replaced by the figure of Snipe Level 2. Soon, the magnum appeared in his hands as well.

 **GASHACON MAGNUM!**

"Mission: Start." He said.

He then began to shoot at the house. First he shot at Kirito and Asuna first. But then, he shot the support beam underneath them. That caused both of them to fall down and land on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Kirito asked.

"What does it look like, genius?" Snipe taunted. "I'm here for what's mine!"

He continued to shoot. Kirito and Asuna are doing all sorts of flips and dodging to avoid all of the bullets flying everywhere. Yui was above, silently watching the whole thing.

"What it is that we have you want?" Asuna asked after both her and Kirito found some cover.

"Do I have to spell it out for you kids?" Snipe sighed. "The Gashat!"

'Gashat?' Asuna thought.

Kirito realized. He remembered Sinon.

"Well, we don't have it!" Kirito shouted.

"Keep telling yourself that!" Snipe teased.

He then pressed the button below the slot on the side of his belt.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

They were now teleported to a forest. Strangely though, Yui was also teleported as well. But Snipe, Kirito, and Asuna don't know.

"We're telling you the truth!" Asuna shouted. "We don't have that!"

"Asuna!" Snipe continued. "You may be beautiful, but you are a terrible liar."

"He's not believing this!" Asuna said hastily. "Kirito, what should we do?"

Kirito sighed, and his Elucidator appeared on his back.

"We'll have to beat the sense into him." He admitted.

He then hopped out of his cover and darted towards Snipe. Asuna quickly followed suit. Snipe smiled at this sight.

Kirito and Asuna slashed and swung their swords at Snipe. However, Snipe was able to dodge everything superbly. In fact, he even grabbed Asuna's rapier by the blade, and twisted around to flip her. And then, he kicked her in the face as well as shooting her abdomen.

"Asuna!" Kirito shouted.

He swung his sword around, and Snipe just step to his side, and then kneed his stomach.

Yui was watching this whole thing from afar. She was getting frustrated, not being able to do anything.

'I have to do something!' She thought.

She began to run towards the fight, picking up some rocks along the way.

Snipe crouched down to the agonizing body of Kirito.

"Now, are you inclined to give me my Gashat?" He asked.

Kirito shook his head. After all, he didn't have it.

Snipe was about to say something, but then, he felt a small bump on his head. He looked up and saw Yui. She had some rocks in her hand and she also had a serious but timid look.

"Well…" Snipe chuckled, looking back at Kirito. "Then let me motivate you."

He stood up and slowly walked over to Yui. Both Kirito and Asuna knew what he was about to do.

"Yui! Run!" Asuna shouted.

Yui didn't run. She just walked back slowly. Snipe walked closer and closer. Kirito grabbed his ankle in order to buy Yui some time.

"Yui. Now's your chance!" He shouted.

Snipe rolled his eyes, and just shook him off. Then, to make sure, and because he felt like it, he kicked Kirito in the face. Kirito rolled back to right in front of Asuna.

"Kirito!" Asuna shouted.

Snipe turned back and continued over to Yui. She began to throw more rocks, which were just bouncing off of him. Once he got close, Snipe just picked up Yui by her clothes. She waddled in the air as Snipe lifted her.

"You will regret this! Mommy and Daddy will kick your butt!" She gripped.

Snipe only responded by nailing her in the stomach with the butt of Magnum. Yui then fell unconscientious. He then slouched her over his shoulder.

"YUI!" Asuna and Kirito both yelled.

"Man, kids." Snipe said, looking at Yui. "They can sure be a handful, right?"

"Let her go!" Kirito shouted.

Snipe scoffed, and only opened up his message menu. He wrote down something, and sent it to the couple before him.

"I'll be waiting here." He said. "If you don't come with my Gashat within the next 24 hours… well."

He looked over at Yui.

"I'll let your imagination do its job." Snipe teased.

Then, he began to walk away.

"Hey!" Kirito shouted. "Get back here…!"

Then, the environment changed back. Kirito and Asuna were back at their log cabin, but Snipe and Yui, their daughter, was gone. Kirito only slammed his fist down on the ground as Asuna did her best to comfort him.


	16. Soar High Pt 2

Chapter 16: Soar High Pt. 2

"He took Yui?!" Everyone shouted the next day.

Kirito and Asuna both silently nodded.

"What are his terms?" Sinon asked.

"All he wants is the Gashat." Asuna explained. "Which we don't have."

Sinon then scrolled down her item menu. She summoned the Jet Combat Gashat into her hands.

"Does he mean this one?" She asked.

"We have to assume so." Kirito replied.

"And if we don't comply?" Silica asked.

Kirito only drew one finger, and drew a line across his neck. That was enough to get the message through.

"Kirito and I both decided what we're going to do." Asuna admitted. She then stood up from her seat and grabbed the Jet Combat Gashat from Sinon's hands.

"We're going to save our daughter." Kirito agreed.

Then, he stood up from his seat and began to set out. But as Kirito was walking out, Sinon grabbed his arm.

"I'm going with you." She bluntly said.

"Why?" Kirito asked.

"You don't know Snipe. I do." Sinon explained. "You are going to need all of the help you can get."

Kirito didn't want to argue, so he just let her come.

"Fine." He answered. But then he turned to Silica, Liz, and Leafa. "But the rest of you are to stay put. Got it?"

The other three girls just silently said yes. And with that said, Sinon, Asuna, and Kirito took off to the air. Which left Leafa, Silica, and Liz at the log cabin.

"Well…" Leafa shrugged. "And then there were three."

"Speaking of which." Silica started. "Where's Klein?"

"Oh, he messaged me a while ago." Liz replied. "He had something to take care of."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Leafa asked.

"Hey, I don't know!" Liz said.

Klein was doing something. He was currently behind a wall pillar. He was observing Lazer. The latter had his Gamer Driver on, and was doing some magic tricks to pass the time. When he heard another set of steps, he quickly hid.

Lazer stood up and welcomed the guest. His guest was an Undine, complete with white garments and a staff. On top of him was the name Genmu.

"So, you're an Undine?" Lazer asked. "Fits you."

"Why, thank you." Genmu replied. "I think I fits me as well."

He then unbuttoned his cloak and revealed another Gamer Driver on his waist. Klein looked out just in time to see that.

'A Gamer Driver?' He thought.

"You really got me there, sir." Lazer commented. "Now, I got no one to turn to!"

"You still have that Klein fellow, do you not?" Genmu asked.

"Yeah, but I don't think you actually count him." Lazer retorted.

'"Count"?' Klein thought confused.

"But anyway." Lazer continued. "Who was that friend of yours that filled your spot?"

"He is of no concern either." Genmu answered.

Then, there was a brief moment of a staring competition. If looks could kill, there would be an ALO genocide.

"So, shall we?" Lazer asked.

"Most definitely." Genmu answered.

Lazer chuckled, and then the two pulled out both of their Gashats and pressed it.

 **BAKUSOU BIKE!**

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Trophy stands and brown 2 by 2 by 2 blocks arranged themselves all over the area. Lazer twirled and Genmu just extended his hand out.

"Henshin…" Lazer said smoothly.

"Henshin." Genm said.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Then, both figures are replaced by the chibi figures of their Level 1 forms. But neither of them stayed like this for long.

Lazer was the first one to act. He tossed his wheels aside, and pulled out the Girigiri Chambara Gashat. He pressed it, summoning the samurai robot.

 **GIRIGIRI CHAMBARA!**

Genmu pulled out the Shakariki Sports Gashat as well, He pressed it, with the BMX bike parking right next to him.

 **SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

"Third gear!" Lazer announced.

"Grade 3." Genmu said solemnly.

Both then inserted their Gashats into their respective Drivers.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N!** **X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **SHAKARIKI, SHAKARIKI, BAD!** **BAD! SHAKATTO, RIKITTO, SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

 **BAKUSOU! DOKUSOU! GEKISOU! BOUSOU! BAKUSOU BIKE!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! CHAMBARA!**

Both now level up into their Level 3 forms. Lazer, who jumped into the air to level up, did an action roll and then attacked with the weapon that spawned in his hands.

 **GASHACON SPARROW!**

Genmu chuckled, and also obliged his invitation for the battle.

All this time, Klein was watching. He was flabbergasted by what he saw.

'Uh…' He thought to himself. "What just happened?"

Meanwhile, the trees rustled as the wind whistled through their branches.

A bit out ward, was a small quarry. On a rock, Snipe was checking his ammo. A bit a far, was Yui. Tied up to a log, supported by some rocks. Yui was struggling to free herself. Snipe looked up to her. He chuckled at the sight.

"This looks real poetic, doesn't it?" He asked.

Yui just stuck her tongue at him while she continued to free herself. Snipe ruffled her hair.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" yelled a voice.

Snipe turned to the direction where the voice came from. He saw Kirito, Asuna, and not to his surprise, Sinon walking towards him. He pulled out his magnum and shot the ground in front of them.

"That is as far as you go!" Snipe warned.

Kirito and Asuna grimaced. But suddenly, Snipe began to laugh.

"To be honest, you two are more gullible than I thought!" He said. "I knew you didn't have it anyway!"

"Wait." Kirito asked. "Then why did you take Yui?!"

"Well, I had to get my Gashat somehow!" Snipe taunted.

Asuna pulled out the Jet Combat Gashat.

"This is what you want, right?!" She yelled, holding it high up in the air.

Snipe looked at the Gashat as closely as he could.

"Wow." He said. "It's legit, alright."

"Now, give us back Yui!" Kirito demanded.

"The Gashat's first." Snipe reminded.

"Give us Yui!" Asuan shouted.

Snipe rolled his eyes. He pressed the A Button on his magnum, turning it into a rifle.

 **ZU-KYUNN!**

And, without a second thought, he just pulled the trigger. The bullet landed straight into Yui's open left leg. She screamed in pain.

"YUI!" Asuna and Kirito both shouted.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Snipe reminded. He then gently placed the barrel right on the side of Yui's head.

"Give me the Gashat." Snipe called. "Sooner or later, I might just shoot her in a place that actually matters!"

This is when Sinon snapped. She had to say anything.

"YOU LOST EVERYTHING, DIDN'T YOU?!" She shouted.

Everyone just turned to Sinon. Sinon had the most furious look on her face.

"You were a gentle man!" She continued.

"Sinon…" Asuna whispered.

"You were always there for people! Back in GGO… when I just began… you were there to help me get the basics! What happened to you?!" Sinon shouted.

Snipe scoffed. He held the bridge of his nose in amusement.

"Look, sweetheart." He answered bluntly. "That was the old me."

Then, he pointed to his body. "This, is the new me."

Kirito realized this wasn't going anywhere. He grabbed the Gashat out of Asuna's hand. He then sprouted wings and flew up to Snipe.

"This is what you wanted, right?" He asked.

Snipe held up his hand. "Thank you for complying."

"We'll make a simultaneous trade." Kirito suggested.

"Very well." Snipe replied.

He undid the chains that held Yui and grabbed her by the arm. And the trade happened. Kirito dropped the Gashat in Snipe's hands as the latter let go of Yui in Kirito's grasp.

Kirito carried Yui bridal style and floated back down to the ground. Asuna rushed over and cradled her daughter.

"Yui…" She whispered. "I'm glad you're okay…"

Yui silently cooed. Both girls had tears down their cheeks.

"C'mon, let's go home." Kirito said warmly.

Then, the group began to set off. But that's when Snipe jumped down from the where he was, resulting in thud sound. He pointed the Gashat at them. Sinon turned around just in time to see it.

"Everyone!" She shouted. "Look out!"

Snipe scoffed, and pressed the Gashat.

 **JET COMBAT!**

A small jet-resembling robot appeared before them. Snipe closed his Driver and inserted the Gashat.

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

"That looks fun." He commented. "If you two want to play husband and wife, go back to kindergarten."

He then opened his Driver back up.

"Phase 3." He stated.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **BABANGBANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **JET! JET! IN THE SKY! JET! JET! JET COMBAT!**

The robot attached itself onto Snipe's torso. Its "arms" became machine guns that attached to its wings, which sat on Snipe's back, and now he had breathing mask that fighter pilots use. He scoffed and felt its power.

"So this Level 3…" He whispered to himself.

Asuna covered Yui, while Sinon and Kirito both drew their respective weapons. Snipe raised his Magnum slowly.

"Mission… start." He said.

He then began to shoot. Kirito deflected some shots but wasn't able to get all of them. That's where Sinon helped. She shot the bullets Kirito wasn't able to deflect out of thin air.

Snipe then took to the air. No wings were necessary, as he was flying because of the booster on his back. He put his magnum away, and grabbed the two machine guns on the wings. He pointed them forward, and pulled the trigger. What followed was a storm of bullets flying down from the sky. He then opened up a panel on his back, and that fired two warheads; both were heading down towards Asuna and Yui.

"Look out!" Sinon shouted.

Asuna covered Yui and braced herself. Then, she realized she wasn't hurt. Something had blocked the explosion.

 **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

"You should carry a shield around with you, Asuna." Brave suggested.

"Brave!" Asuna said happily.

Brave, in Level 3, looked up at Snipe.

"So the doctor finally comes…" Snipe said.

 **GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

Also, a robot fist flew out of the ground and landed an upper cut. Snipe fumbled but eventually regained his balance.

"Don't forget about me!" Ex-Aid cheered.

"Ex-Aid…" Sinon whispered.

The robot fist returned back to Ex-Aid's right arm. He looked up at Snipe.

"Great… and the reporter…" Snipe scoffed.

But his train of thought was interrupted by Kirito, who slashed right across his torso. Luckily, Snipe was able to dodge by the skin of his teeth. He twirled and bicycle-kicked Kirito straight down. That sent him into the ground.

"Kirito!" Sinon cried.

She darted downwards to help. Asuna also came, after telling Yui to hide somewhere else.

"You dishonorable…" Brave groaned, pulling out his Gashat.

He grabbed his sword and inserted the Gashat there.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

He got into his stance and got ready.

 **DOREMIFA CRITICAL FINISH!**

He the slashed up at Snipe. But Snipe was able to dodge it. Then, as Brave continued slashing, he inched closer and closer. Once he was close enough, he ignited the engines and rammed Brave into rock. The impact sent him flying, losing grip of his sword as well as the DoReMiFa Beat Gashat. Snipe picked it up when Brave was incapacitated.

"One down…" Snipe whispered.

"Brave!" Ex-Aid shouted.

He was about to run over, but he was stopped by something. He looked behind him and saw a tree with a face was grabbing hold of him.

"A Monster?! Right now?!" He groaned.

The monster roared and lifted Ex-Aid into the air. But luckily, Asuna and Kirito sliced both of its arms off and freed him.

"Thanks!" He said.

"Save the thanks when we get out of this!" Sinon reprimanded him.

Yui also turned into her pixie form and flew into Kirito's pocket. There, she predicted attacks the monster was about to do.

Brave regained enough conscientiousness to see the monster attacking. He struggled out, but fell over due to the pain. He looked up and saw Snipe positioning himself a bit far from the monster battle.

'What's he doing…?' He thought.

"Not planned, but I guess it helps." Snipe shrugged.

He then pulled out his Gashat and inserted it into the slot next to the belt, pressing the button as well.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Brave looked on, then he realized what direction he was about to shoot in. He turned to the monster battle.

"It's a trap!" He shouted. "Run!"

Snipe pressed the button once more. After that, he grabbed the two machine guns, and pointed them at the monster fight.

 **JET CRITICAL STRIKE!**

What followed was chaos incarnate. First, bullets streamed down from the sky like rain, and as the bullets continued firing, the back panel opened up again and fired a flurry of missiles. All headed towards the same direction as the bullets. Sinon looked behind her just to see that.

"EVERYBODY RUN!" She screamed.

But it was too late. Before anyone could realize it, explosions engulfed that whole fight. While the monster did get defeated, Ex-Aid and the SAO gang were caught in the crossfire of the finishing attack. One final explosion finally had them screaming in terror and pain. Snipe looked at the carnage. He then something sparkling fly out of the explosion. He flew to catch it. It was the Gekitotsu Robots Gashat.

"Mission: Complete." He announced.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

While everything above was going on, Genmu and Lazer were busily locking horns. In all seriousness, Genm was superior in terms of intellect, but strength-wise, they're both on equal ground.

Lazer slashed one of his Sparrows downward, which Genmu dodged, but that was a rouse. He slashed his other Sparrows upward, which sent Genmu twirling into the air and back a few feet.

"How'd you like that, huh!?" He taunted.

 **KER-POW!**

Genmu twisted his weapon, now mentioning the name Gashacon BugVisor, around and shot Lazer in the chest. That sent him into the ground.

"Why I ought a…" Lazer groaned.

He flung one of his Sparrows into the air, and inserted his Gashat into the other one.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Genmu also did the same, but twisting the BugVisor back the other way.

 **GE-IING!**

He then pulled out his Gashat out and inserted into the slot next to the belt, along with pressing the button.

 **GASHUNN GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Both of them the began to glow. Then they got into their stances.

Lazer's Sparrows began to glow.

"Try this on for size!" He said.

 **GIRIGIRI CRITICAL FINISH!**

Genmu's BugVisor also glowed, and he pressed the button on the belt side once more.

 **SHAKARIKI CRITICAL STRIKE!**

Then, both Riders charged at each other. They slashed right across from each other, but no visible damage can be seen from either of them. It looks like they missed on purpose. 

"What is the GENM CEO doing this?" Lazer asked.

"For the same reasons you are, of course." Genmu replied.

Lazer made a confused sound as he watched Genm cancel out of his transformation.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Genmu summoned his staff, and spoke his mind.

"I want to know how the Bugsters came to be as they are now." He explained. "My story to those children were only an inkling of the story."

"And in order to find out that truth, I created the Gashats and the Rider system." Genmu continued.

"You are very aware of the compatibility surgery, yes?" He asked. "I went through with it as well."

"So, what?" Lazer asked.

"However, there is one person among us who had become a Rider without the need for that surgery." Genmu concluded.

Lazer thought on that for a moment, but that's when it hit him.

"Emu…" Lazer said.

"Correct." Genmu replied. "Consider that food for thought."

With that, he walked off. He sprouted wings and flew away.

Lazer, cancelling out of his transformation as well.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Then he walked off. Klein hid again to avoid detection and just saw Lazer walk. Once he was out of sight, he stood up, flabbergasted what he just saw and heard.

Back in the fight with everyone else, Snipe had cancelled out of his transformation. He was holding both the Gekitotsu Robots and DoReMiFa Beat Gashats. He looked behind him at the carnage that he just unleashed.

Sinon had a tree on top of her, but she was fine. Kirito was unconscientious, but he was in Yui and Asuna's lap, so he'll be fine. Ex-Aid was on the ground, and Brave slowly walked toward them.

"You… really changed didn't you?" Sinon groaned from under the tree.

"Time changes a man." Snipe remarked.

He then began to walk away. Ex-Aid stopped him though.

"Gashats…" Ex-Aid groaned. "They are used to help people!"

"Spare me the heroic bullcrap." Snipe retorted. "You can barely even use these to their fullest potential."

"Besides…" Snipe thought. "You aren't even a legit Rider…"

And with that, Snipe sprouted his wings and flew away. Ex-Aid stopped moving. He had to absorb what Snipe meant by that.

'Not a legitimate Rider…?' He thought.

"Hey, kid!" Brave shouted. "Help out here!"

Ex-Aid snapped back, and proceeded to help Brave getting Kirito, Asuna, Yui, and Sinon to some proper care.

Meanwhile, in the GENM CEO office, Pallad was doing some snooping around. He saw that the black briefcase he mentioned earlier open, and also, he had one USB out. There was also a note attached to it. He opened it. It simply read this:

 _You know what to do._

He smirked, and then plugged the USB into Dan's computer.

In VR, Graphite was just sulking around. Then he saw something pixelate into his hands. It was a Gashat, but different. It didn't have any sort of color. It was purely black, and even the artwork of the game was black and white. But he didn't care. He just took possession of it and then took off.

Pallad watched the whole thing on a screen. He scoffed and then walked out of the office.


	17. Let the Dragon Consume You!

Chapter 17: Let the Dragon Consume You!

Chrystheight walked through the streets of ALO. NPCs were bustling about, and any the music of the game seem to make things smooth for him.

And on the contrary for him, he was actually there for to cool off.

'This feels nice.' He thought to himself. 'It's good to take some time off.'

But, he was cut off by a figure. His face turned serious. The figure was none other than Graphite.

"So you're Chrystheight?" He said. "Or should I say… Seijiro Kikuoka?"

"How do you know my real name?" Chrystheight asked.

Graphite scoffed and pulled out an object. It looked like a Gashat. But it was black and gray. He pressed it, and black aura spread to Chrystheight's body. He felt a sharp pain within his body as he slowly began to collapse.

"Wha-, what is this?!" He demanded. "Why do I feel… so weak…?"

Graphite smirked, and then kicked him square in the face. He then turned around and walked away as other players began to go over to Chrystheight.

"This is only the beginning…" He cackled quietly.

 **I've gotta believe!**

(A circle camera shot of Kirito and Asuna, back to back, looking around, as the world pixelates and revealing the title)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(The SAO gang talking together)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why?**

(The floor suddenly crash and all of them fall, their bodies pixelating into their SAO avatars)

 **Kizukeba I came too far**

(They slowly get up, looking around the pitch blackness)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The world shatters into color with the Riders walking behind them)

 **The new beginning**

(Each Rider show their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The SAO gang prepare to fight)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The Riders go Level 2)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(The Gamer Driver lever turns)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid VS Kirito and Asuna)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Brave VS Silica and Lisbeth, Snipe VS Sinon and Leafa)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(In an explosion, Lazer tears by with Ex-Aid riding)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Brave, Snipe, and Lazer go into Level 3)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Ex-Aid also goes into Level 3, and does a rocket punch)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Graphite VS the SAO gang)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid VS Genmu)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Sinon (GGO) and Snipe raising their guns to their faces)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Asuna and Brave clashing swords)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Kirito & Ex-Aid run towards each other as the title appears)

Kirito and Asuna were back in their log cabin. Leafa and Lisbeth were doing their best to comfort them. Silica and Klein were just sitting around.

Sinon was a different story. She banged her fist onto the counter in frustration.

"That bastard…" She muttered.

 _ **JET CRITICAL STRIKE!**_

The attack seriously injured those involved. But for Sinon, it was also an emotional damage.

"I'll destroy him next time…!" She said.

"Now, now, take it easy over there." Klein reminded.

"Sinon." Kirito reminded. "We were all overwhelmed by that. Don't feel bad."

Sinon scoffed and just looked away. Kirito just shook his head and got up to get something. He walked to the kitchen and grabbed a cup, but then he dropped it suddenly. The cup smashed on the ground, and Kirito held his hand.

"Kirito?" Silica asked.

"You okay?" Leafa asked too.

"Yeah. I guess my hand wasn't there yet, I guess." Kirito chuckled.

Just then, a message alert appeared in front of him. He read it, and he got serious.

"What is it?" Asuna asked.

"It's Chrystheight." Kirito replied. "He sent us a location. Probably where he is."

The room turned silent. It was a rare occurrence that Chrystheight would contact them via message, but rare doesn't mean never.

"Why would he sent us a location?" Silica asked.

"Who knows?" Liz replied.

Kirito walked to the door, but Asuna stopped him in his tracks.

"You know he's an ambiguous man." She reminded.

"If he weren't, why would I go?" Kirito retorted.

He then moved past Asuna and took to the air. Asuna sighed, and then followed by everyone else, she followed him.

Chrystheight struggled to get to a chair. He was panting heavily. Some players would often look at him with a confused look, but paid no attention to him.

It was only until Kirito and his friends arrived on the scene.

"So… you did come…" He groaned with some coughing.

"Alright, out with it." Kirito said with a cold look. "What's going on?"

Yui popped out of his pocket. She looked at Chrytheight, and realized something.

"He's infected!" She stated.

"'Infected'?" Chrystheight replied. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you have the Bugster." Said a voice.

Everyone turned and saw Brave and Ex-Aid walking in. Poppy was flying beside Ex-Aid.

"And you are…?" Chrystheight asked.

"We're here to cure you." Brave replied, pulling out his Gashat. "You should just stay put."

He pressed his Gashat.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

"Don't worry, sir." Ex-Aid reminded, pulling out his Gashat. "This won't be able a painful procedure."

He pressed it as well.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Both game fields spread over the area. This enacted something. Chrystheight began to scream in pain, and orange blobs began to form on his body. However, the blobs just accumulated into his stomach, and began to swell up like a bubble.

"This is different!" Sinon shouted.

Just as she said, the blob raised itself into the air, and flashed brightly. The blob now became a dragon. It roared loudly.

"A Dragon?!" Klein yelled. "We're fighting a freaking _DRAGON_ NOW?!"

"Don't act surprised!" Brave ordered.

Then, both he and Ex-Aid inserted their Gashats into their Drivers.

"Henshin!" Ex-Aid announced.

"Henshin." Brave said.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Both figures were replaced by their chibi forms. But neither of them stayed this way, as per usual these days.

"Dai Henshin!" Ex-Aid shouted.

"Proceeding to Level 2." Brave stated.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

Ex-Aid and Brave turned into their Level 2 forms. Brave got his sword, and Ex-Aid just pressed the button on his side.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

The area was now a waterfall. There was a small riverbank with some rocks and as well as a forest surrounding the area.

"Huh?" Leafa muttered. "Where is it?"

"Closer than you think!" Laughed a voice.

Everyone turned around and saw the source of the voice. Graphite was sitting on a tree branch. He jumped down and landed in front of them.

"Graphite…" Brave growled.

"What are you trying to get at, man?" Liz shouted.

"It's a simple goal actually." Graphite mocked. "I wish to raise an army of my kind. That way, we will be able to take over the world!"

"The world, eh?" Kirito remarked. "Setting the bar pretty high, aren't you?"

Graphite smirked and showed his opponents something. It was the black Gashat he used to infect Chrystheight.

"A Gashat?" Leafa asked. "Wait, it looks different."

"Now, you shall witness my true power!" Graphite bellowed.

He pressed the Gashat, and then he stabbed it into his chest. It pixelated into him and then he began to change form.

"BAIOU!" He shouted.

He changed into his monster look. It looked the same, but the color was different. The basic color was black as well as a shade of really really dark gray. Only his right arm deviated from this. In contrast to the shadow-like colors, that arm had a golden color vibe to it.

" **Now…** " He groaned. " **Bear witness to the birth of my new power, along with my friend!** "

As if on cue, the dragon that flew out of Chrystheight flew in from the sky.

"You guys can handle the dragon, right?" Ex-Aid asked.

"Sure!" Kirito replied.

"We'll handle the Bugster!" Brave stated.

Then, Kirito and his friends charged at the dragon while the Riders took aim at Graphite.

Ex-Aid was the first to reach Graphite. He swung his hammer all over, but Graphite just punched the hammer strikes away from him. Then, he kicked Ex-Aid off of him. He grabbed the blade on his back. He turned around and blocked a sneaky sword slash from Brave.

"I'll make you pay for Yuko!" He demanded.

" **I'd like to see you try!** " Graphite taunted.

Brave roared and continued slashing for Graphite's head.

Meanwhile, Kirito and his friends were dealing with the dragon. Somehow, Silica was already on top of it, slashing its back. Liz followed up with a mace swing to the side, but the dragon shoved it off with one of the talons that seemed to look like a sword.

"I'll go for the mouth!" Asuna said.

"We'll make you a path!" Sinon called.

She fired an arrow to the side of the dragon's face. It groaned from the pain, but that gave Asuna the opening to jumped into the mouth. With one arm keeping the mouth open, she began to slash the innards of the dragon. The dragon flew into various trees and the waterfall to shake her off.

Graphite saw this, and responded appropriately. But first he had to get Brave out of his face.

"Still not fully evolved by the looks of things…" He wondered.

He whistled to the dragon. The dragon looked at Graphite and responded. First, it spitted out Asuna. Coincidently, she fell in the vicinity of Graphite. He saw his chance. He grabbed Asuna and jumped.

"Asuna!" Kirito yelled.

Graphite jumped onto the back of the dragon and flew away. With him gone, the Stage disappeared and they were back in the place where Chrystheight was. Brave and Ex-Aid cancelled out of their transformations.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Ex-Aid then turned his attention to Chrystheight. Poppy flew out of his pocket to assist. She turned bigger, about the size of Asuna. She slowly lifted Chrystheight with Ex-Aid.

"Is there any place where he can stay for a bit?" Brave asked Klein.

"We'll go to Kirito's place." Klein suggested. "It's the closest."

Brave nodded and with Ex-Aid and Poppy behind him, walked towards the direction. Everyone else slowly followed, with Kirito dead last.

Dan was sitting in his office. He was looking at the case he left open.

"All according to plan." He smiled. "Graphite taking the Proto-Gashat was just like giving candy to a baby."

"Wow!" Pallad cheered, going up to him. "I said this before, and I'll keep saying it: You. Are. Scary."

"Thank you." Dan replied. "All that's left is to get the combat data for this."

He opened up his drawer and grabbed a box. He opened it and saw a golden USB.

"Ah… the new generation of gaming?" Pallad asked.

After that, Pallad left the office. Dan sighed, and put the USB back in. Just then, Taiga entered his office.

"I thought I warned you not to trespass without proper authorization." He said.

"Was that the tenth Gashat?" Taiga asked.

"Well, yes." Dan replied.

"So, counting all of the Gashats that we have out there, including that black Ex-Aid's Shakariki Sports…." Taiga explained. "We have ten."

"The question is." He continued. "Who will you give it to?"

"Well, anyone that is not you." Dan answered.

Taiga winced, and then stormed out. Dan shook his head, only pulling out the USB again. He plugged it in, and then made preparations to dive in.

Chrystheight was now lying on the bed of the Asuna-Kirito log cabin.

"So… what you're saying is…" He reiterated. "These Bugster things can infect me, and then take over my mind and body?"

"That is the usual case, yes." Ex-Aid replied.

"And you are working with the GENM Corporation?" Chrystheight asked again.

"Well… yes." Brave answered. "But not just them."

"Who else is there?" Chrystheight asked, slowly getting up.

"The Ministry of Defense is funding us." Brave explained. "I won't say much here for precautions."

"The Ministry of Defense?" Chrystheight asked. "I'm in the Ministry of Internal Affairs! Why wasn't I informed of this?"

"The minister wanted it so." Ex-Aid explained. "If word about this got out, there would be chaos."

"As such is the case, only the people under this roof know about it; you included." Brave concluded.

"I can understand the sentiment." Chrystheight said. "But I could help!"

"In your condition, you're in no position to do anything." Brave retorted.

"He's right, sir." Ex-Aid said, putting Chrystheight back on his back. "You need rest. We'll handle the Bugster."

Chrystheight sighed.

"To think this is how I was going to spend my weekend…" He sighed.

"Happens to the best of us." Ex-Aid answered.

With that, Ex-Aid and Brave exited the room. They began to walk downstairs when they heard a glass smashing. They bolted down. They saw Kirito with shards of glass in his hands.

"Kirito…" Leafa whispered.

"Graphite took Asuna…" Kirito growled. "I'll rip that guy to pieces!"

"That is not your role, kid." Brave retorted. "You can't let emotions get the better of you."

"You're the one to talk!" Kirito shouted back. "You were fighting for revenge!"

"Care to say that again, punk?" Brave growled back.

Kirito and Brave were now at death stares. No one spoke a word at this intensity.

"Now, now!" Poppy said, getting in between them. "Fighting isn't going to get us anywhere!"

"She's right." Said a calm voice.

Everyone turned and saw an Undine standing before them. The door was ajar, and the Undine closed it back up, as per good manners. Above the player, was the name Genmu.

"Dan Kuroto…?" Kirito whispered.

"Well." Genmu chuckled. "You certainly have an eye, Kirito."

"Why are you here?" Brave asked.

Genmu scrolled down his item menu. He pressed one of them, and a Gashat materialized into his hand.

"I have come to give you this." He explained.

"Is that the finished Gashat?" Ex-Aid asked.

"Yes." Genmu answered. "It is the new stage. Level 5!"

"Level 5?" Silica asked.

"Yes." Genmu replied. "However, this game is a bit different from the others."

"Dragon Knight Hunter Z, is it?" Ex-Aid commented. "That's a four-payer co-op game!"

"Yes." Genmu responded. "However, it is still not complete. If you could defeat the Bugster and absorb its data, the Gashat will be ready for use."

Brave and Ex-Aid walked up to Genmu.

"We'll do it." Ex-Aid said, holding his hand up. "Just give us the Gashat."

"Of course." Genmu replied.

He dropped the Gashat, but then, Kirito bolted. Grabbing the Gashat in midair, he held it tightly in his hands.

"Kirito?" Klein asked.

"What is the meaning of this?" Brave demanded.

"If this Gashat helps me save Asuna…" Kirito explained. "I have to take the chance."

"Just what are you going to do with it, then?" Brave demanded again. "It's not like you can use it!"

"No one said I can't bother trying." Kirito retorted.

Then, he sprouted wings and flew off.

"Hey! Kirito!" Leafa shouted.

Lisbeth groaned and just followed after him. Everyone else followed suit.

"He does lead by example, huh?" Poppy commented, reverting back to her pixie form and cozily placing herself inside Ex-Aid's pocket.

"What good would that do if he gets himself killed?" Ex-Aid added, flying into the sky with his wings out.

Brave rolled his eyes. Then he followed them out as well.

Genmu was now left alone. He walked upstairs and into the room where Chrystheight was sleeping. The sound of him woke the latter up though.

"Who are you?" Chrystheight asked.

"I'm the GENM CEO." Genmu replied. "I would like to talk to you."

Graphite was on top of one of the tallest buildings in ALO. He held his Gashat in front of him. He pressed it, and then the same black aura he had infected Chrystheight with spread across the area.

Down below, players were just minding their own businesses. Amongst the crowd, Kirito ran straight through them, bumping people out of the way. His friends and the Riders are just barely keeping up with him.

Suddenly, a player fell over unconscientious. Leafa and Sinon walked over to him.

"Hey!" Leafa shouted. "Are you okay?"

Poppy scanned the player.

"He's infected!" She said once she was done.

That's when another player fell.

"Her too?" Silica asked.

That's when several others began to fall over. Poppy looked around. Everyone was getting infected left and right.

"This is crazy!" She whined. "Pi pu pe po Panic~!"

Ex-Aid tried to reassure her, while Kirito looked up. There was an ominous black mist surrounding one of the buildings. Without uttering a word, he darted towards it.

"Kirito?" Liz asked.

But Kirito was gone. Ex-Aid knew what he was going to do.

"Can you guys handle things over here?" He asked.

"Go. We'll handle this somehow!" Brave replied.

Ex-Aid then slowly followed after Kirito. And the rest got those that were infected over to a hospitable area.

Back above, Graphite was smiling away. He could hear it all. The players falling, and the Bugsters within them growing.

"Now, suffer as unknown virus eats away your existence…!" He scowled.

"GRAPHITE!" Kirito's voice shouted.

Graphite turned around and saw Kirito, swords in hand. Ex-Aid slowly got up behind him.

"To think you would show up before them…" He commented.

"Where's Asuna?" Kirito demanded.

"Oh, she's around…" Graphite smiled.

Kirito began to step forward, but Ex-Aid grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

"We can't fight Graphite here." He stated.

He pulled Kirito behind him, and pulled out his Gashat, pressing it as well.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Then, with a second of posing, Ex-Aid transformed.

"Henshin!" He shouted.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Ex-Aid quickly turned into his Level 1 form, but like always, he didn't stay like that.

"Dai Henshin!" He announced.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Ex-Aid leveled up into Level 2. Then, he reached for the side of his belt. Pressing it, the area changed.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

The area now became the same forest they fought in earlier. The only differences were that there was only a metal bridge crossing between two mountainsides and a small river stream flowing next to them.

Kirito raised his swords.

"Let's do this." He said.

"Sure." Graphite answered.

He pressed his Gashat, and then jabbed it into his chest. He turned into his monster form.

" **But, you won't be fighting me.** " He added. He looked above him.

Kirito and Ex-Aid looked up and saw the dragon from before fly in. It looked larger and more powerful.

"Looks like it finished evolving…" Ex-Aid commented.

That's when the dragon grabbed Kirito by his arm and flew away.

" **Ex-Aid…** " Graphite said, pulling out his blade. " **You'll be a fight worth fighting!** "

Ex-Aid grabbed the Gashacon Breaker and began his attack. But he was intercepted. Brave, in Level 2, with the Gashacon Sword out, now stood in between them.

"I'll eliminate you!" He said.

Brave then charged. Ex-Aid just shrugged and attacked with him.

Meanwhile, Kirito was still being hung by the dragon's mouth. It flew around the fight of Ex-Aid, Brave, and Graphite before dropping him just shy of the river stream. The dragon then shot a fire breath attack. Kirito dodged it with a corkscrew, and then slashed the stomach of the dragon. The dragon retaliated by slashing him. The impact sent him flying, dropping the new Gashat in the process. But the Gashat was caught by Sinon.

"I got it!" She called.

That's when Silica, Leafa, Lisbeth, and Klein jumped in. First, Silica and Liz cut its sword arm, and the dragon just whacked them back with its tail. Klein and Leafa both jumped into the air, but the dragon just shot them with its gun arm. They landed back on the ground with a thud. The dragon roared, and then took to the air.

"Look out!" Sinon shouted. "It's coming in for another pass!"

The dragon roared, but then its face was met with little sparks and explosions. The gang looked up and saw Snipe, in Level 3, shooting at the dragon. It flew around, trying to dodge the attacks. Klein and Leafa took this opening to attack. And while they kept that dragon busy, Snipe landed in front of Sinon.

"I don't know why and how you have that Gashat, but I'll be taking it now." He said bluntly.

"Here." Sinon said, sticking the Gashat to him.

But she quickly pulled it back, and then ran past him.

"Yeah, right. Like I'd just give it to you after what you did?!" She said.

Snipe scoffed, and only got the Gashacon Magnum in his hand. He shot the back of Sinon, causing her to fall.

"Children should only be seen, not heard." He said, grabbing the Gekitotsu Robots Gashat.

He inserted the Gashat into the Magnum.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

He pulled the trigger, and at the same time, Sinon drew her bow and fired and arrow.

 **GEKITOTSU CRITICAL FINISH!**

An energy fist fired from the gun, and it met the arrow in a huge explosion. But the fist kept on going and landed a hit on Sinon. She lost grip of the new Gashat and it sent it flying into Snipe's hand. Snipe sniggered at it.

"I don't have time to waste on this guy…" She groaned.

Just then, Kirito dropped in from nowhere and then threw his sword at Snipe. The sword landed on his shoulder, sending him back a bit. He looked around. The 2 by 2 by 2 blocks from the game area of Mighty Action X was around.

"Help the others with the dragon." He whispered to Sinon. "I'll make this quick."

Sinon nodded, and then ran to the fight with the dragon. Kirito then jumped into Snipe's line of vision. The latter just finished getting that sword out of his shoulder. He began firing, but Kirito was agile enough to dodge them all. Kirito landed on a block. He grabbed his other sword and then burst it open. A coin appeared, and it landed on him, giving him a power up of some kind.

 **MUSCLE UP!**

Kirito jumped back down to the ground. He landed with an action roll, grabbing his other sword in the process. Snipe kept on shooting, but Kirito just slashed his torso. That sent him back, giving the Gashat back into Kirito's grasp.

But that victory was short lived. The dragon came back with a vengeance. It shot a fire breath at both of them. Kirito rolled out of the way, while Snipe only took back into the air. The dragon then tail-whipped Kirito. That sent him flying.

Meanwhile, Graphite was doing just fine. Ex-Aid and Brave were putting up a decent fight, but their current lack of coordination was giving him the better chances.

He arm-thrusted both Ex-Aid and Brave in the stomach, which sent them flying.

" **Is that the best you could do?** " He taunted.

Ex-Aid and Brave both stood back up. The two looked at each other, and knew what to do. They both inserted their Gashats into their respective weapons.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Then, with their weapons in position, they began to dart towards Graphite. But that's when Kirito fell in between them.

"Hey! Watch it, dude!" Ex-Aid shouted.

Kirito shook his head and saw both of the Riders' weapons. He just then grabbed them right out of their hands.

"I'm borrowing these." He said, darting back towards the dragon.

"He-hey!" Brave yelled.

But he didn't have time for that, as all they could now is dodge all of Graphite's attacks.

" **Pay attention!** " He bellowed.

Kirito looked up at the dragon. It was kept very busy. Snipe was giving it a constant stream of bullets, and the others were doing their best to damage it. He flipped the Gashacon Sword around, thus he is now holding it backhanded. He then slashed upward. That created an ice path that shot up to the dragon, with the ice encompassing most of its torso. He then ran up the ice path. He positioned both weapons beside him as he got closer and closer.

 **MIGHTY TADDLE CRITICAL FINISH!**

Kirito slashed first with the Gashacon Breaker, then second with the Gashacon Sword, and finally, using both in an X-Shaped slash attack, the dragon roared as it was blown up. Kirito landed back on the ground. He raised the new Gashat into the air, as the dragon was dissolved back into orange blobs and absorbed into the Gashat. Kirito looked at the new Gashat, and a picture of the dragon appeared on the Gashat art.

Graphite saw it all happen. He just had Ex-Aid at his final strength, and once he saw the dragon defeated, he just threw Ex-Aid into a tree, while Brave was only sent back a bit. Ex-Aid was sent out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

" **No…!** " He whispered.

He then began to run towards that vicinity. Brave lifted Ex-Aid by his shoulder, and helped him followed Graphite.

While all of this was happening, real life had another story. Kiriya was busy researching everything he could about Emu. He had looked into medical reports, past jobs, he even asked his family about certain things.

A little while later, he was in a hospital. He asked a nurse for something, and he was waiting for something.

As far as the information he got, he only got the information about how Emu had a surgery due to a severe car accident. Furthermore, that was 16 years ago.

"Here you go." The nurse said. "All of the paperwork involving Emu Hojo."

"Thank you." Kiriya replied.

"May I ask what do you need this for?" The nurse asked.

"We have a body coming into the examiner's office in a few days." Kiriya explained. "We have reason to believe that the cause of death may be in Emu's files."

"But his surgery was almost 16 years ago…" The nurse commented.

Kiriya looked up. That got him another question.

"If you don't mind me asking." He began. "Who did the surgery?"

"Huh…" The nurse wondered. "I think he works in the Ministry of Defense… or was it the Ministry of Internal Affairs…?"

"All I could think of right now is the name." The nurse answered. "Two doctors worked on him. Hinata Kyotarou and Seijiro Kikuoka, I think…"

Kiriya got wind of the first name, but the second name was new to him. But, he remembered.

'I got a text from Emu earlier…' He thought. 'Seijiro Kikuoka is the infected…'

"Thank you for your assistance." He replied shortly. He then left the hospital.

Sometime later, as Lazer, he was flying in the skies of ALO. He found Kirito and Asuna's log cabin quickly, and then he made his way to the bed room.

"Who's there?" Chrystheight asked.

"Relax, man." Lazer assured. "Just don't die on me yet, bro."

Chrystheight studied Lazer carefully.

"Are you another one of those… Kamen Riders?" He asked.

"Yep." Lazer replied. "And I have some questions for ya."

Chrystheight lied back down.

"So… apparently." He began. "You have done an operation with the Minister of Defense on Emu Hojo about 16 years ago."

Chrystheight looked at Lazer with a shocked look.

"Now the question is…" Lazer smiled. "What did you do to him?"

Graphite stormed in front of Kirito.

" **You will regret this!** " He shouted.

Kirito looked at Graphite. He had a scornful expression on his face. His friends walked up behind him.

"You're not actually going to fight him, are you?" Liz asked.

Ex-Aid and Brave then stepped beside him.

"You should let us handle this." Brave stated.

Kirito wasn't having any of that. He looked at Ex-Aid. He was out of his transformation, but the Gashat was still in the Gamer Driver, which was still on him. He just grabbed the Gamer Driver off of Ex-Aid.

"Hey!" He shouted.

But then, Kirito put the Driver on himself. It was rather off putting, as the bright colors of the Driver clashed with his blackness appearance.

"Are you actually going to do it?" Leafa asked.

"You can't risk it!" Silica called.

"I know." Kirito said. "But…"

He tightened the grip on the new, recently completed, Gashat.

"That thing has Asuna…" He said. "And I'm going to save her. It has to be me!"

With that proclamation, he raised the new Gashat in the air. Then, he pressed it.

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

A gold game area spread itself out. Then, the dragon they had beaten earlier appeared on top of them. The dragon roared and bellowed its cry as it flew around in the sky.

"Don't do it!" Ex-Aid shouted.

"You'll kill yourself!" Brave called.

"Kirito! Stop this!" Lisbeth shouted.

"Don't!" Silica yelled.

"Let us help!" Leafa shouted.

"You can't do this alone!" Klein yelled as well.

And despite all of the protesting, Kirito pretended like he can't hear a thing. He just inserted the Gashat into the Driver.

 **GASHATTO!**

Snipe, who had just walked up, saw what was going on. While Graphite was seething with fury, Snipe found this rather amusing.

'Heh.' He thought. 'That idiot's actually doing it…'

Kirito grabbed the Driver's lever. He gripped it tightly, and breathed, closing his eyes.

"Asuna…" He whispered. "Just hold on a bit longer… I'll save you."

Then, shooting his eyes open, he opened the Driver.

"Henshin." He said.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION! X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

The dragon roared as its split apart. Its sword arm attached onto Kirito's right arm, while the gun arm attached onto his left arm. The dragon's hind legs formed themselves into a leg armor, as they attached themselves onto his lower legs. And finally, with one final roar, the dragon torso landed on Kirito's torso, giving him armor with the dragon's head serving as the helmet. However, the Ex-Aid form did not appear.

Kirito took one step, but he stopped immediately. Energy begin to crackle all over his body. He grunted and groaned, and with one final roar from the dragon, he went berserk.

Not by his own ambition however, he began spewing out vortexes of fire and laser blasts. All of those attacks are landing all over the place, causing explosions. Everyone had to get to cover just to avoid them.

"That idiot…" Brave groaned.

"What's going on?" Ex-Aid asked.

"Just like I thought." Snipe stated. "That was too much for him to handle. He's gone berserk."

Kirito began to flail around with the dragon armor on him. In fact, he even attacked his own friends.

"Hey! Watch it!" Liz shouted.

But Kirito couldn't respond. After knocking Klein around for a bit, he then unknowingly began to run towards Graphite.

" **Befitting of you to meet your demise like this…** " He smiled.

He reached for his blade, and after twirling it around, he placed the blade in front of him.

" **Blackest Dragon Slash!** " He chanted.

And with one strike, the attack landed on Kirito. Kirito tried to take it, but he couldn't handle the power of both the Drago Knight Hunter and the attack from the Graphite. He was knocked away. Kirito tumbled back, the armor disappearing in the process.

 **GASHUNN!**

Suddenly, Kirito found himself back on the same rooftop he found Graphite at. He looked up and only saw Ex-Aid's Gamer Driver and the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat sitting idly by.

Kirito struggled up, but the only strength he could muster up was enough to just punch the ground in frustration.


	18. The Dragon Becomes Me!

Chapter 18: The Dragon Becomes Me!

Kirito stood back up slowly. He reached out for the Gamer Driver and the Gashat. He grabbed the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat, but Ex-Aid popped out of nowhere and grabbed his Driver before he could.

"You have to rest." He told him.

Kirito didn't reply. He just hobbled over to him, but an arm grabbed hold of him. Sinon and Leafa had returned from the fight and were now holding him.

"Kirito! Give it a rest!" Sinon shouted.

"Let me go!" Kirito demanded.

"You can't fight again!" Leafa whined. "We have to go!"

Kirito was having none of this. He struggled out of their grip, only for Lisbeth and Leafa to hold on tighter.

"Get him out of here." Ex-Aid ordered.

"Don't worry!" Liz said. "We will!"

Ex-Aid nodded and put on his Gamer Driver. He then dissipated back into the fight.

"Hey!" Kirito roared. "Get back here!"

"Come on you!" Liz said, taking to the air.

"We're leaving!" Leafa proclaimed.

And with that, both of them lifted Kirito into the air and back, as Kirito just flailed his legs around, still struggling.

Back at the fight, Brave was still trying to a little bit of damage onto Graphite. But Graphite just tossed him aside like he was nothing. Brave stood back up, but he was cut off by Snipe, who just shoved him out of the way and shot several missiles at Graphite.

"Stay out of this, Level 2 noob." He said.

He took to the air. Flying around to the other side, he kept on shooting at Graphite.

"Graphite's mine!" Brave shouted, pressing the A button on the sword.

 **GO-JINNG!**

The sword became an ice sword and with one upward strike, it froze one of Graphite's arms. Then Brave took the opening to kick him square in the stomach, thrusting him into Snipe.

" **Why you…!** " Graphite shouted.

He just grabbed Snipe's wing, and tossed him into Brave. However, Brave jumped over the flying body, and Snipe was knocked into a nearby tree. Coincidentally, both DoReMiFa Beat and Gekitotsu Robots Gashat fell on the ground. Brave picked up both of them.

"I'll be taking these back." Brave declared.

Just then, Ex-Aid jumped into the battle. He first bounced on Graphite's head, and then he blackflipped right next to Brave.

"What did I miss?" He asked.

"Not much." Brave replied.

He tossed the Gekitotsu Robots Gashat to Ex-Aid. Ex-Aid received it thankfully, and, along with Brave, both leveled up into Level 3.

 **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

 **GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

Both robots from both games appeared next to them. The Riders inserted the Gashats into their Drivers.

 **GASHATTO!**

"Dai Dai Dai Henshin!" Ex-Aid said.

"Proceeding to Level 3!" Brave said.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **BUTTOBASE TOTSUGEKI! GEKITOTSU PUNCH! GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **DO-DO-DO-RE-MI-FA! SO-LA-SI-DO! OK!** **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

Both Ex-Aid and Brave got into their Level 3 forms. And, with Snipe slowly getting up at the back, they charged at Graphite. Graphite just grabbed his blade and just shrugged off most of their attacks.

" **Outnumber me all you want!** " He shouted. " **You can never beat me!** "

He finally punched Ex-Aid off of him and slashed Brave across the chest. Snipe flew into the air, but Graphite was able to grab his foot and made him stay on the ground. Ex-Aid got back up and went for a punch. Graphite prepared to block it, but laser arrows flew in from the corner and knocked him off his feet. The Riders turned to see where the arrows came from.

 **GIRIGIRI CHAMBARA!**

"Mind if I join?" Lazer said cheekily before twirling into the battle.

Kirito was getting patched up by Leafa. Sinon decided to stay outside to check Klein or Silica ever made it back.

"Does it hurt?" Leafa asked kindly, after getting to his leg.

"I'm fine." Kirito shot.

He yanked his arm away from her and began to stand up. He saw that the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat was just sitting on a counter. He grabbed it, and limped towards the door. But, he tripped over misplacing his foot. The Gashat clacked down in front of him. Leafa quickly rushed over to help.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked.

"Asuna." Kirito bluntly replied. "I… have to save her!"

Leafa heard this before. Years ago, when Kirito and her made it to the World Tree, Kirito was dead set on rescuing Asuna. While, she did go along with it, there was this underlying tension she had for that fact that Kirito would go through hellfire to get to Asuna. This was no different. However, something irked her. It was just like Kirito was saying that he has to go. No one else. She helped him back then, but now he is refusing their help.

"Leafa!" Kirito grunted, still struggling out of Leafa's grasp. "Let me go!"

Leafa pulled Kirito in front of her, making him face her. And with one breath in, Leafa slapped Kirito clean, right across his cheek. It wasn't that hard, like how Sinon slapped him in GGO, but it was to send a message through.

"Kirito…" Leafa began. "We want to save Asuna as much as you do…"

"But you can't do it yourself!" She continued, with tears of anger and sorrow beginning to twinkle on her face.

"Back at the world tree…" She went on. "We helped you! So why are you avoiding us now?!"

Kirito was speechless. Again, the last time Leafa let loose her feelings was years ago, just before the aforementioned World Tree debacle. And she was right. He's been trying to get Asuna back with his own power right now, while he had help back then.

Leafa being the one to snap some sense back into the guy; that's not something you would see every day.

Kirito slowly got up, with Leafa holding him up. He placed the Gashat back on the counter, and sat down on the couch.

"You're right, Leafa." He admitted. "I can't do this alone. I was too overcome with my emotions."

"That's an understatement." Commented a voice.

Kirito and Leafa looked up and saw Ex-Aid, Brave, and their friends who just came back.

"I'm not in the position to say it, as you said, I was overcome by emotion as well." Brave said. "But you using that Gashat is another matter."

"Hand it over." Ex-Aid chimed in. "You're lucky to be alive right now. The shot of using a Gashat that powerful could've killed you on the spot."

Kirito sighed. As much he hated it, they were right. The Gashat was too powerful. He felt it overpower him, slowly eating and blinding his mind and body. He could still remember the destruction he unleashed with it.

So, he got up, and grabbed the Gashat from the counter. He handed it over to Ex-Aid.

"I trust you guys would have a better chance of using it?" He asked.

"Yeah." Ex-Aid replied, taking the Gashat.

"We'll check on the patient." Brave stated.

Once they had gone up, Kirito sat back down. Despite all of this, Asuna was still with Graphite. The thought of what he was going to do with her just made him shudder. Leafa placed her hand on his shoulder to give him some comfort.

"Hey, where are Snipe and Lazer?" Sinon asked.

"They took off once the fight was over." Klein replied. "Who knows where they are?"

"We have to worry about Asuna right now!" Liz interjected.

Sinon sighed. Knowing Snipe, he would be up to whatever the hell he has planned.

Klein also knew Lazer. However, it was more of worry than concern. He knew the whole thing about Genmu. He didn't want to talk about the whole thing to them, as he didn't know how they would respond.

Graphite was chilling, cleaning his blade with a cloth. He was in a good mood. The Gashat he acquired were doing wonders for him, and the Riders could barely get a scratch on him. Even that kid was in over his head trying to get him.

"Of course…" He muttered, looking behind him. "There's also that."

There, tied to a metal pole with chains, was an unconscientious Asuna. She had been unresponsive since the day she fell into his hands, and he had no problems with it.

Now, he could've just infected her, but a) there would be no purpose, and b) it would be much more satisfying to infect her just after he has crushed his foes.

"My kind will no longer be bound by these trifles…" He stated.

He went on cleaning his blade. Everything was going his way now.

On another building, within viewing distance, Pallad was just watching the whole thing. While he did approve of what Graphite was doing, he was getting bored of it.

"C'mon, Graphite…" He groaned. "Get on with it!"

The sun rose on the horizon of Alfheim. On a pathway, Kirito was just moping around. Leafa and the others were just nearby, but they didn't say anything.

"I think the whole Asuna thing got him pretty down." Klein whispered.

"Oh really?" Liz asked. "What was your first clue?"

This comment was followed by more silence. Kirito didn't know what he was going to do. Silica approached him quietly.

"Kirito…?" She asked slowly. "Are you okay?"

Kirito didn't reply. He just picked up pace away.

"This isn't like him…" Sinon commented.

"Yeah…" Leafa added. "He hasn't said a thing last night… I'm getting worried."

But that feeling would have to wait, because suddenly, a giant something crashed right in between Kirito and them. It appeared to be a monster. It roared loudly.

"Finally some action!" Klein cheered, drawing his sword.

He then jumped into the air. Just as he was about to strike down, the monster grabbed him and tossed him down.

Liz and Silica drew their weapons. They went for a strike as well. While Liz was thrown back, Silica was able to stab one of its arms. Once she pulled her dagger out, the monster began to bleed. It bellowed in pain, and swatted Silica away. Sinon drew her bow, but the monster was able to grab her and throw her. She slid down just to Kirito's feet.

"Sinon!" Leafa shouted.

Sinon got back up quickly.

"Hey, Kirito!" She shot. "You going to help?"

Kirito answered with a murmur similar to a "yes." That was enough for her. Leafa and Sinon then took off together. Yui popped out of his pocket.

"Daddy?" She asked. "Are you okay?"

Kirito didn't respond. He just charged in. He jumped and sliced off several of its arms and came down with the force equivalent of a hammer. The monster roared and shook off Kirito. He landed, and slid.

"Yui!" He said.

"Right!" Yui replied.

She focused.

"Three arms! Headed this way!" She shouted.

Kirito waited. The limbs came closer. He jumped at the right moment. The first limb went under him, which he dodged. The second and third limb punched him and then grabbed hold of him. Sticking him to a nearby wall of rocks.

"Kirito!" Leafa shouted.

She went in to save him, but was cut off by a foot.

"This thing's tough!" Klein commented.

"Who asked you?!" Sinon shouted back.

The monster roared and raised another arm.

"A punch!" Yui shouted. "Dodge it!"

"I… can't!" Kirito answered.

The monster was ready slam its arm, but then it felt several attacks to its face and the said arm. There were small explosions and sparks.

 **JET COMBAT!**

Snipe was in the air. He scoffed at the sight.

"The ants on a grasshopper trick, huh?" He laughed. "How cute."

He then dived down for a bombing run. He shot several bullets down the monster's body.

"Snipe…" Sinon said.

Several small slashes then darted upward from the ground. It cut the monster's arms off clean. Kirito was freed, and he landed back on the ground with Yui slowly descending down to his head.

 **GIRIGIRI CHAMBARA!**

"Mind if we cut in?" Lazer joked.

He twirled his two Sparrows and charged while cheering. Kirito also followed him.

Liz and Silica were doing their best with all of the arms the monster was keep regenerating.

"How many arms does this thing have?!" Liz shouted.

"Just eight!" shouted a voice. "Just keep your heads down."

Then, several music notes darted towards the arms, repelling them off Liz and Silica's faces.

 **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

Brave, with one hand on the scratchboard, was standing before them. He then grabbed his Sword. He then jumped onto one of the arms and began running up.

"Well…" Liz uttered.

The monster was now taking major attacks. Snipe and Sinon were sniping it from above and below. Brave, Silica, and Liz were now on the arms and began attack the arms directly. Lazer and Klein were doing so well together. The two "samurai" of the group were slashing the monster's main body, before moving onto their next attack point.

All the while, Kirito was watching.

"This is… incredible." He mentioned.

 **GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

Ex-Aid walked up beside him.

"See?" He mentioned. "This is what working together does."

Kirito looked puzzled. He then realized. He had heard this before from Leafa, but Ex-Aid helped drive the point home.

"Well?" Ex-Aid said, showing Kirito his robot fist. "What are we waiting for?"

Kirito smiled, and clanged his sword with the robot fist.

"Yui." He whispered. "Draw us in."

"Of course!" She replied.

Then, Ex-Aid and Kirito ran towards the fight. The monster threw and arm at them.

"Arm from above! Incoming!" Yui indicated.

Kirito jumped and Ex-Aid action-rolled. The arm swung right in between them. Kirito used this chance to jab the arm into the ground.

"Ex-Aid! Now!" He shouted.

Ex-Aid got on top of the arm, and ran up. He inserted the Robots Gashat into the slot next to his belt.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

The robot fist began to glow. Ex-Aid got closer and closer to his mark. He jumped and then placed the fist on the monster's abdomen area. He pressed the button.

 **GEKITOTSU CRITICAL STRIKE!**

The impact of the fist was massive. Even the air behind the monster boomed, with a visible circle cloud behind it. The monster stumbled back, roaring in pain. Ex-Aid bounced off.

"There's your opening!" He bellowed.

At that moment, Lazer, Brave, and Snipe appeared in the air. All of them had their Gashats inserted into their weapons.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

The weapons began to build up energy. And with a swift second of the monster growling, they unleashed their attacks.

 **DOREMIFA JET GIRIGIRI CRITICAL FINISH!**

Brave slashed, sending a treble clef slash at the monster. Snipe pulled the trigger, launching what appears to be an air-force equivalent warhead missile. Lazer also shot, but instead, he shot a cloud of energy arrows. All of the attacks crashed onto the monster's face. It roared before exploding into shards of pixels.

The Riders landed back on the ground. Ex-Aid quickly ran up to them, congratulating them.

"That was awesome!" He shouted.

"I will admit, it was fun." Brave admitted.

"We should do this again sometime!" Lazer suggested.

"Please not." Snipe groaned.

Just then, the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat began to glow. It flew into the air in front of them, and then it split into four different copies of itself.

"Looks like your theory worked, kid." Brave admitted.

"Theory?" Kirito asked. "What theory?"

"If you remember, Drago Knight Hunter Z is a four player co-op game!" Poppy shouted, popping out of Ex-Aid's pocket.

She flew around to Kirito.

"In order for that factor to activate, we had to take on a monster!" She explained.

"And you chose this one?" Sinon asked.

"Yes." Brave replied.

The glowing Gashats flew to the hands of each Rider. They firmly grasped it.

"Now, the next step." Ex-Aid declared.

"The next step?" Klein asked.

Ex-Aid reached to the button on the side of the belt. He pressed it, changing the location.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

They were now in an open field with some rocks on one side, and a field of grass on the other. However, the only people present were the Riders and the SAO gang.

"What's this supposed to do?" Liz asked.

"Wait for it…" Ex-Aid warned.

Suddenly, Graphite pixelated into existence right in front of them. He had his back facing them.

"So…" He began. "You've summoned me to battle?"

"Hell yeah, we did!" Lazer laughed.

Graphite turned around. He had something shocking in his hands. Asuna, still unconscientious, was being held up by her collar.

"Asuna!" Kirito shouted.

Graphite scoffed, and then just tossed her body to them. Kirito was able to catch her, of course. Yui flew onto her chest.

"Asuna…" Kirito whispered. "C'mon, don't do this!"

Asuna's eyes winced. Then, they fluttered open. She reached up to Kirito's face, touching his cheeks.

"Kirito…" She mumbled weakly.

Kirito laughed in happiness, and then he buried his face into Asuna's shoulder. He was glad that his girlfriend was still alive. Yui also flew to Asuna's head, and she also welcomed her back.

"I'm back…" Asuna said.

Graphite, while amused by this sight, he was sick of it. He just pulled out the Gashat he had and just stabbed it into his chest. He then morphed into his monster form.

" **Let's get on with it!** " He roared.

Kirito helped Asuna up, and grabbed his sword. Ex-Aid just blocked him.

"You can't take him on." He said.

"No need to worry about us." Kirito interjected. "We can still fight!"

"Maybe another time." Brave stated. "Right now, your primary concern is taking care of Asuna."

Kirito nodded. He then motioned his friends to get back. Sinon went up to Kirito and helped him carry Asuna to cover with their friends not far behind. Ex-Aid also had Poppy go with them.

" **You are only delaying the inevitable!** " Graphite bellowed.

"You sure?" Ex-Aid taunted.

He, with all of the other Riders, then reverted back to their Level 2 forms. Lazer had to go into Level 1, as it was the only other human form he had.

"Now…" Ex-Aid began. "Let's make this a competition! Let's who can take out Graphite first!"

He pressed the Gashat.

 **FANG!**

Brave chuckled, pressing his Gashat as well.

"You'll be kissing my boots, boy." He said.

 **BLADE!**

"I'll be winning this." Snipe responded.

 **GUN!**

"You wish!" Lazer laughed.

 **CLAW!**

Then, they closed their Drivers back up and inserted their Gashats.

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

 **GASHATTO!**

The dragon pixelated above them. It roared and flew around just above the Riders.

"Phase 5." Snipe indicated.

"Proceeding to Level 5." Brave said.

"Fifth gear!" Lazer cheered.

"Dai Dai Dai Dai Dai Henshin!" Ex-Aid shouted.

Then, all of them opened up their Drivers at the same time.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **BABABANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

 **BAKUSOU! DOKUSOU! GEKISOU! BOUSOU! BAKUSOU BIKE!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER!**

The dragon roared. Then, it split apart into parts. The parts first attached themselves onto Ex-Aid's body. The sword arm on the right arm, the gun arm on the left, the feet becoming leg armor, and the main torso becoming a giant torso armor, complete with the dragon's head becoming a helmet.

 **EX-AID!**

Then, the armor from the legs and arms split off, leaving Ex-Aid with only the main torso armor.

 **BRAVE!**

The sword arm and the leg armor for the right leg attached themselves onto Brave, who reached his arm out to receive them.

 **SNIPE!**

The gun arm and the leg armor for the left leg attached themselves onto Snipe, but he just let them situate themselves onto him.

 **LAZER!**

Strangely for him, both the gun and sword arms, as well as the leg armor, made another duplicates of themselves and attached themselves to Lazer. Lazer's motorcycle body flipped around, and the arms attached onto the side. The leg armor, formed into dragon feet and then connected to the exhaust pipes. That gave him his feet.

And with that, everyone has reached Level 5!

Graphite was appalled by this sight. He reached for his blade and went for an attack immediately.

" **Blackest Dragon Slash!** " He roared.

He slashed in a X-shape, but Ex-Aid shut that down with a quick fire breath. Out of the smoke, Brave and Snipe emerged. They slashed and clubbed Graphite in the chest and abdomen. Even more so, Brave and Snipe are actually exchanging the blows. For example, Brave would slash a bit, and then Snipe would finish it off with a club to the stomach and a laser blast.

"Let me join in!" Lazer shouted.

Brave and Snipe twirled out of the way as Lazer clawed down Graphite.

"Out of the way!" Ex-Aid shouted.

Ex-Aid shot another fire breath. Snipe and Brave were out of the vicinity, but Lazer ducked to avoid it. Graphite was thrown back.

All of this was being watched by the SAO Gang.

"Well…" Klein muttered. "They work pretty well!"

"I guess so…" Sinon added.

But then, the Riders began to argue. How they argued would be very hard to put into words, so the author will now just write down the random mumbo jumbo they spewed out to each other below.

"Hey, what was that for?!"

"I was just shooting at him!"

"Your timing was off!"

"You were the one who exchanged too late."

"You charred my back!"

"I got Graphite!"

"You were 2 seconds off!"

"I mean, look at this!"

"You're fine!"

"You could've torched my back!"

The SAO gang were just looking at this argument, all with sweat marks.

"Then again…" Liz chuckled nervously. "Opposites never attract?"

Graphite recovered, and stood back up. He found his enemies arguing. He found his chance.

" **Ryujin no ken wo kurae!** " He bellowed.

His blade glowed, and then he charged. Brave moved to intercept. He blocked the first slash. Then, he just bounced Graphite off and then slashed his torso in a V-shape. He then kicked his stomach. Snipe advanced and stuck his gun arm into Graphite's stomach. A laser blast sent the poor bastard flying again. Lazer then slashed upward at Graphite, and then Ex-Aid slammed him down with his tail.

Graphite fell down. He was getting pushed to his limits. He used his blade to get back up.

" **This… isn't… possible…!** " He roared.

The Rider looked and stood next to each other. They all scoffed and inserted their Gashats into the slots next to their Drivers.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Graphite braced for an attack.

" **Very well…** " He said. " **For my ultimate final attack!** "

He twirled his blade. He then put it next to his face. The blade glowed as it built up energy.

At the same time, Graphite unleased his attack and the Riders pressed the button on the slot once more.

" **Ryu ga waka teki no kurau!** " He screamed.

 **DRAGO KNIGHT CRITICAL STRIKE!**

Graphite stuck his blade out, unleashing a beam of black energy. The Riders were a different story.

Ex-Aid shot a pink energy beam.

Brave only slashed diagonally upward.

Snipe only stuck his arm out.

Lazer just claw the air.

However, in contrast to Graphite, their attacks kept on coming, while his was only one beam, just keeping them at bay. Just barely, however. Soon, it was beginning to overpower him.

" **No…!** " He roared. " **NO!** "

But it was too much for him. The attacks soon overpowered him, consuming him. The event that followed him as an explosion soon consumed his whole body. In the midst of the explosion, an object flew out. No one noticed strangely. The object landed on the ground with a clack. It sat there for a while before it was picked up. Pallad smirked happily as he put it away.

"That was quite a show." He chuckled. "Thanks, Graphite."

The area reverted back to the walkway back at the beginning. The Riders canceled out of their transformations and walked over to the SAO Gang. Except Snipe, because he said he had "better things to do". Lazer too, but he went to check on the patient, which was Chrystheight, just in case anyone forgot.

"I… uh…" Asuna said nervously. "I don't know how to repay you for this!"

"There's no need." Brave replied. "It's like our time during the Knight of the Blood Oath: We never leave one of our own behind, no?"

Asuna smiled warmly. Despite this, Brave was still a good person on the inside, and she was grateful.

"That was so cool!" Poppy cheered. "You were like BOOM! And then he was all like YAAA!"

"Okay, okay, we get it." Klein groaned.

They all laughed.

"Thank you for getting Asuna back." Kirito said, stretching out his hand. "Sorry we held you back."

"No need to apologize, man." Ex-Aid said, shaking his hand.

And with that, the remaining Riders left. The SAO gang departed back to the Kirito-Asuna log cabin.

Brave sat down by a river bank. Ex-Aid logged out a while ago, as he had an article due in a couple of days.

He sighed. The river streamed down quietly and gently. He opened up his board and pulled up an image.

The image depicted him in RL. He was holding a cup of coffee. Beside him was a woman. She had short black hair, and was also wearing glasses. She had a cup of tea.

'What point is there in revenge…' He thought. 'If there's no point in bringing that person back?'

"Yuko…" He sighed.

Chrystheight was now standing on the porch.

"Thank you for this." He said.

"Don't mention it." Klein smiled.

"If there's any way I can repay you for this, just let me know." Chrystheight said.

"Yeah. We'll call." Liz chuckled.

"I've heard it all." Chrystheight added. "I'll try to keep the Bugster a secret within my area as well."

"We appreciate it." Silica replied.

With that, Chrystheight left them. The SAO gang then walked back inside the log cabin, to recharge, relax, and regroup.


	19. Entering the New Stage!

Chapter 19: Entering the New Stage!

Dan was sitting on his desk, looking outside his window. Pallad walked in through the door.

"How is Graphite?" He asked.

"He's seen better days, really." Pallad laughed.

"I see…" Dan replied, taking a sip from a cup of tea.

"So what are you going to do now?" Pallad asked.

"Well, I have to help them clear their last game, no?" Dan replied.

Pallad smiled gleefully, and then he left the office. Dan was happy. He looked to his side. On a computer screen, was a blank white Gashat. There were several readings on the side of it.

"It's almost time…" He muttered.

 **I've gotta believe!**

(A circle camera shot of Kirito and Asuna, back to back, looking around, as the world pixelates and revealing the title)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(The SAO gang talking together)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why?**

(The floor suddenly crash and all of them fall, their bodies pixelating into their SAO avatars)

 **Kizukeba I came too far**

(They slowly get up, looking around the pitch blackness)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The world shatters into color with the Riders walking behind them)

 **The new beginning**

(Each Rider show their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The SAO gang prepare to fight)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The Riders go Level 2)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(The Gamer Driver lever turns)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid VS Kirito and Asuna)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Brave VS Silica and Lisbeth, Snipe VS Sinon and Leafa)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(In an explosion, Lazer tears by with Ex-Aid riding)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Brave, Snipe, and Lazer go into Level 3)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Ex-Aid also goes into Level 3, and does a rocket punch)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Graphite VS the SAO gang)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid VS Genmu)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Sinon (GGO) and Snipe raising their guns to their faces)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Asuna and Brave clashing swords)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Kirito & Ex-Aid run towards each other as the title appears)

It was a snowy day in the real world. It was no different in the Kirigaya household.

"Hey, Kazuto!" Suguha greeted.

"What's up?" Kazuto replied.

"Look outside!" Suguha told him.

Kazuto sighed. He opened up his curtain and found snow withering down to the ground.

"Well…" He sighed. "Would you look at that…"

"Do you think we'll have white Christmas this year?" Suguha asked with eyes twinkling like stars.

"Maybe." Kazuto admitted. "Who knows what the future holds?"

Suguha smiled. Ever since that whole fiasco with Graphite, Kazuto/Kirito never stopped smiling. This was the brother she knew.

"Well, I'll be in my room if you need me!" She said.

"Got it!" Kazuto replied with a thumbs-up.

Suguha then skipped along to her room. Kazuto sighed and turned on his computer. He clicked on a word document and began typing. About halfway in, his phone buzzed. It was a text from Emu.

 _We have a meeting._

 _The CEO gave us the time. 2:00 PM._

 _I know the weather might not be ideal, but we'll have to make do._

 _You have the address._

 _See you there!_

 _-Emu._

Kazuto finished reading. He sighed.

'Looks like these guys don't get Christmas break…' He admitted.

He got up, got dressed, and walked out of his room.

"Sugu!" He called. "We have a thing!"

Suguha, who was enjoying the warmth of her room, cradling with a book, now found herself on a subway train, with a scarf and earmuffs.

"Why do they have to pick now…" She whined. "It's cold...!"

"You whining isn't changing reality here." Kazuto remarked.

Suguha continued to sulk into an anime depression while Kazuto checked for their stop. Once they have arrived, they got off the train and walked towards the GENM Corp building.

They walked into Dan's office, and was greeted by a warm soothing blast of heat. They also saw Shino and Taiga, glaring at each other, Lazer and Ryotaro, talking about something, Rika and Keiko with Emu and Hiro respectively.

"Sorry for the late!" Suguha apologized.

"There's no need to apologize." Dan replied. "I should be the one to do that, seeing as how I was the one brought you here."

Suguha and Kazuto took of their coats and winter clothes and sat down on the ping pong table. Dan clapped his hands and walked up to the projector.

"Thank you for coming in such a short notice." He began. "I would like to give you an update on our situation."

The screen displayed ten game box arts. Nine of them had Game Clears written over them. The only one that didn't have anything was the one with a bike.

"So far, you have cleared nine of the ten games." Dan explained.

"The only one left is Shakariki Sports, isn't it?" Taiga interrupted.

"Very observant." Dan complimented. "We also have some new information with the black Ex-Aid."

Everyone perked up. They have been waiting for something like this for a while.

"We have confirmed that the black Ex-Aid really is working with the Bugsters." Dan explained. "He's the one who's been masterminding all of this."

"So…" Ryotaro asked. "If we beat him, the Bugster infections will stop?"

"That is highly likely." Dan responded. "He is trying to take the lives of innocents after all. And he chose Alfheim Online as his first target."

"Well, defeating him will be the simple part." Taiga said, getting up. "But I'll be taking the Gashat."

"As long as you retrieve the Gashat, it will be okay." Dan replied.

Taiga then left.

"Hey!" Shino called. But Taiga had already entered the elevator. She bit her lip and just sat back down.

"In addition to this." Dan continued. "Kiriya was the first to arrive to tell me something."

Everyone listened with open ears.

"He told me about how the Ministry could be tied in this matter, which makes our job more difficult." He stated.

"And that's where I have to stop you." Kazuto interrupted.

Kazuto stood up and walked over to Dan.

"Look, I get the Chrystheight can be a little evasive…" He began. "But even after every shadowy thing he did… he's still a good person. I know that much."

Kiriya chuckled at this. He then walked up to him.

"Something funny?" Hiro asked.

"The amount of faith you put in that guy…" Kiriya commented. "Even after almost getting you killed in GGO, you still find that guy trusting?"

There was silence.

"So what?" Asuna's voice said.

Asuna was now standing next to Kazuto.

"You are right." She said. "Chrystheight is not exactly the most reliable person on the planet… but we can trust him enough."

"Not you though." Kazuto added. "After that stunt you pulled, you're on thin ice."

Dan watched the whole thing. He had a serious face on.

"I believe we are done here." He spoke up. "We'll regroup a bit later."

Kazuto shot a glare at Dan, and then left with Asuna, grabbing his coat.

"Kazuto! Wait!" Suguha called, grabbing her stuff as well.

Hiro, Ryotaro, and Keiko left shortly after. Rika was about to leave as well, but Dan stopped her.

"Rika!" He called.

"Yes?" Rika replied.

"This might be out of nowhere, but are you doing any Christmas shopping?" Dan asked.

"Well…" Rika answered. "I did most of it… I'm just thinking of what I should get my cousin though…"

"And he likes Mighty Action X?" Dan asked again.

"Yes." Rika replied.

Dan chuckled. He reached for his drawer, grabbing a sharpie pen as well. He scribbled on something and then handed it to Rika. It was a copy of Mighty Action X, autographed by the CEO.

"This should make it easier." He smiled.

Rika was stunned as she received the copy.

"Uh…" She muttered. "What's this supposed to be?"

"Consider it an early Christmas gift from me." Dan told her.

Rika looked at the copy. Then, she smiled.

"Thank you." She replied shortly. "He's going to love it!"

"Be sure to send him my regards." Dan said.

"Of course!" Rika called as she grabbed her coat.

Now, after she left, it was just Kiriya and Dan in Dan's office. Kiriya looked back at Dan.

"What are you playing at man?" He asked.

"To eradicate the Bugsters. What else?" Dan replied innocently.

Kiriya thought about it, then quickly got up and left. But before he left, he told Dan something.

"You think you're the boss…" He said. "But once this is over… I'll be coming for you."

A little while later, Lisbeth was flying around ALO. Behind her was a stout little kid, struggling to fly.

"You can do it!" She called. "Come on! Come on!"

The kid tried, but in the end, he fell down and landed face first into the side of a shop.

"Ow…" The kid groaned.

Liz flew down, and picked the kid up. She dusted him off and then patted his head.

"You'll get it next time." She assured.

Just then, a familiar figure flew down to her. It was Kirito, Asuna, and Leafa.

"Hey, you guys!" Liz greeted.

"What's up, Liz?" Kirito said. Then he looked down at the kid. "Who's this?"

"Oh." Liz said. "This is my cousin, Kouta! This is his avatar, Champ."

"'Champ'?" Leafa giggled. "It's cute!"

"It's not cute!" Champ frowned. "It's supposed to strike fear!"

"With a tiny body like that?" Liz teased, rubbing his head. "You've got a long way to go, buddy!"

Champ frowned. But, he held his chest tightly. He then felled on his knees, trying to breath.

"Champ?" Kirito asked.

"Hey, Kouta!" Liz shouted, shaking him. "Wake up!"

Suddenly, orange blobs began to form. It then began to surface.

"Bugster!" Asuna shouted.

But as soon as he said that, the orange blobs flew off of Champ, and formed into a familiar figure.

"It has been a long time, my dears!" Salty cooed.

Kirito, Asuna, Leafa, and Liz looked up and saw Salty. The last time they saw him was in Chapter 3, and that was at least several _months_ ago.

"You're Salty from Mighty Action X!" Liz called out. "But… you were defeated by Ex-Aid!"

"That was the old me!" Salty proclaimed. "I have leveled up! And now, once I have consumed that boy, I shall become complete!"

Liz stood up, her weapons summoning into her hands.

"You'll pray for getting my cousin!" She shouted.

She attacked. Salty had no problems dodging and in fact, he was having no trouble.

"Get Champ to safety!" Kirito ordered Asuna and Leafa.

"Got it!" Asuna replied.

"Okay, upsie daisy…" Leafa muttered, lifting up Champ.

Kirito unsheathed his swords and landed a slash right on his back.

"You have gotten saltier!" Salty shouted throwing a punch.

"That makes two of us!" Liz shouted back, blocking the punch.

Kirito slashed whenever Liz lost her footing, giving Salty some damage. Just then, am energy ball flew in from behind.

"Look out!" Kirito shouted.

He grabbed Liz's head and ducked. The ball landed straight onto Salty's face.

"Who dares!" He shouted.

Just then, a figure flew in from the sky and landed in front of Kirito and Liz. A tail befitting of a dragon stopped waggling and sat put.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

Ex-Aid stood confidently. He was in Level 5, and the dragon armor looked as ferocious as ever.

"Ah…" Salty commented. "I see you have leveled up as well!"

"You gonna talk, or fight, bro?" Ex-Aid taunted.

He raised his arms to attack, and charged. Salty welcomed, but was met with a swift blade strike to the chest. He went for an arm swing, but Ex-Aid flew into the air and fired an energy blast.

"How!" Salty gripped. "Why is this happening! I have leveled up as well!"

"This is Level 5 you're dealing with here!" Ex-Aid joked.

He flew down for a tackle, but a circular projectile landed on his back, slamming him into a wall. He got up to see something. Kirito and Liz also looked in the direction of Ex-Aid and found the black Ex-Aid, in Level 3, slowly walking towards them.

"The black Ex-Aid!" Leafa proclaimed.

The black Ex-Aid didn't respond. He just twisted the Bugvisor around.

 **GE-IING!**

The black Ex-Aid charged. Ex-Aid knew he can't take on both the Bugster and him at the same time.

"Hey, Kirito!" He called. "Can you guys handle Salty?"

"We were going to do that long before you!" Liz replied, running towards Salty again.

Now there were two fights going on. Liz and Kirito were fighting Salty, while Ex-Aid was fighting his black doppelgänger. Asuna and Leafa were just watching from afar. If there was a screen, they would turn to it.

"Which fight-." Asuna started.

"-should we focus on?" Leafa ended.

The black Ex-Aid has now locked blades with Ex-Aid. He looked to his side. Salty was getting his butt handed to him. Liz and Kirito were doing a considerable amount of damage. He just bounced the swords off and then kicked Ex-Aid out of the way. Then the black Ex-Aid began to charge towards them.

"Like I'd let you go!" Ex-Aid started, pulling out the Drago Knight Gashat and inserting it into the slot, pressing the button as well.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

The black Ex-Aid flipped his Bugvisor around.

 **KER-POW!**

"Eat this!" Ex-Aid shouted.

"Hey, wait!" Kirito yelled.

But Ex-Aid didn't hear. He pressed the button, drowning things out.

 **DRAGO KNIGHT CRITICAL STRIKE!**

The black Ex-Aid turned around and fired one laser blast as Ex-Aid unleashed the fury of Drago Knight Hunter Z. An aura of a dragon hit the laser blast, resulting in a huge explosion. When the explosion cleared, there was a black crater scorch marks and Kirito and Liz were covered in soot. Leafa came out of her hiding place and frowned at Ex-Aid, who chuckled nervously with a sweat drop.

"Guess… I over did it?" He commented.

A player walked over to the scene. That explosion demolished the building he owned. There was literally nothing left of it.

"MY CABBAGE STORE!" He screamed.

Sometime later, they were in Lisbeth's shop. They made a bed out of the little floor space they had, and laid down sheets for Champ.

"Am I sick?" He asked weakly.

"Well… yeah…" Liz admitted.

"Am I going to be okay?" Champ asked.

Liz sighed. She couldn't think of anything else, so she just hugged him as tightly as she could.

"Don't worry." She whispered motherly. "I'll cure you."

Champ was first taken aback, but then, in Liz's embrace, he went to sleep, logging out in the process.

"We'll have the best Christmas ever…" She sighed.

She got up, and walked outside. She was met by Kirito, Asuna, Leafa, Ex-Aid, Sinon, Klein, and Silica.

"What?" She asked.

"You really sounded motherly in there." Kirito commented. "It was… actually pretty genuine."

"You can be kind when you want to!" Klein added.

But Liz quickly slugged him in the stomach. She had a pouting face. Everyone chuckled slightly.

"Well, we'll look for the Bugster now." Sinon replied.

"Call in if you find anything, okay?" Ex-Aid asked.

Everyone agreed, and quickly left. Silica volunteered to stay behind, just in case.

While all of this was going on, Kiriya was wrapping some things up. He had finally got through with the hospital staff. He was now waiting patiently by an office. A nurse came out shortly.

"Here." She said. "This is everything we have on the surgery on Hojo Emu."

"Thank you." Kiriya replied. "You operated alongside Hinata and Kikuoka on this operation yes?"

"Yes." The nurse answered.

"Did they do anything suspicious in the surgery?" Kiriya asked. "Maybe… administering a little something into him?"

The nurse thought hard.

"I don't think so…" She replied. "But Dr. Hinata did do something afterwards."

"What did he do?" Kiriya asked.

"He was able to get his hands on a Nintendo DS." The nurse explained. "They just came out back then, and he had to go through wind and fire to get them."

"Why did he get it?" Kiriya asked.

"It was to reward Emu." The nurse explained. "He was the ideal doctor, loved and trusted by all personnel and patients."

Kiriya thought about that. But something else bugged him.

"What about Kikuoka?" Kiriya asked.

"Well…" The nurse replied. "That was actually his last operation here. We lost touch with him after that."

Kiriya took it in. He thanked the nurse for her time, and went on his way.

"Trust… huh?" He whispered to himself as he walked on.

"Might as well see how everyone else is doing with the Bugster…" He sighed.

Kirito was flying on with Asuna by his side. Yui was enjoying the air breeze from his pocket.

"Huh…" Kirito muttered as he scanned.

"I got nothing." Asuna said.

"Yui?" Kirito asked.

"Nothing is popping up." Yui replied. "Looks like Salty learned something from the last time Ex-Aid beat him."

"Guess evolving means that they got smarter…" Kirito admitted.

Suddenly, a message appeared. It was from Genmu.

 _Can we talk IR?_

 _It's urgent._

 _I will call you._

He stopped to read it in more depth. Asuna stopped and floated over to him.

"Kirito?" She asked. "What's up?"

"It's a message from Genmu." Kirito explained. "He wants to talk privately. In real life."

The couple landed back down on the ground, and began to discuss how to handle it.

"Talk to him." Asuna told him. "We'll guard you while you speak to him."

"We'll wait for you right here, Daddy!" Yui also proclaimed.

"Thanks, you two." Kirito chuckled. "I'll be right back."

Kirito then logged out. Asuna sat down beside him while Yui placed herself on his head.

Kazuto found himself back in his room. He looked for his phone, and waited for the call. It was at least 4 minutes he had to wait until he got the call.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Move the infected out. Now." Dan demanded.

"Whoa. Slow down!" Kazuto yelled. "What's this all of a sudden?"

"Please, keep this between us." Dan explained. "I looked into the incident. It would appear that Akihiko Kayaba responsible for the Bugsters. That man from the Ministry of Internal Affairs have been hiding it from us!"

Kazuto froze. After babbling to Kiriya about how he still believed in Chrystheight despite his flaws, he trust-bubble burst immediately.

"I'll send you the location momentarily." Dan concluded.

Then, he hung up. Kazuto slowly put his phone down. He hurried back into ALO.

Meanwhile, after getting off the call with Kazuto, Dan locked up his suitcase full of Proto-Gashats. He also grabbed his laptop bag and began to walk out. Before he did, he took a scan of his office. He won't be seeing it for a while, so might as well get a good view of it.

'Till we meet again…' He thought.

Kirito soon found himself in a park of some kind. It was complete with a water fountain nearby, and several open spaces with benches evenly apart.

Behind him was Sinon, Silica, Klein, Asuna, Leafa, Ex-Aid, and Lisbeth carrying Champ on her back.

"Why would the CEO have us meet here…?" Ex-Aid asked.

Just then, a rock rolled over to them. It nudged Silica's foot. She looked down to notice the rock, but then noticed something else.

"Everyone! Look!" She yelled.

They all look to see the black Ex-Aid, in Level 3, walked up to them. He had the BugVisor in the gun position.

"It's him!" Sinon said.

"Silica! Liz! Leafa!" Kirito called. "Get Champ to safety! We'll handle him!"

Liz and Silica nodded, and they helped Champ to a safe location. Ex-Aid grabbed two of his Gashats and pressed them.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

The dragon appeared over the SAO gang. Ex-Aid inserted both Gashats into the Driver.

 **GASHATTO! GASHATTO!**

"Dai Dai Dai Dai Dai Henshin!" He proclaimed

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

Ex-Aid first went into his Level 2 form, and then the dragon arranged itself onto his body. Arms, legs, and body going on to their respective places.

"Let's clear this game with no continues!" He announced.

He then attacked. The black Ex-Aid dodged and then the next attacks were launched by Kirito. Asuna, Klein, and Sinon then followed his lead.

As the fight began, Lazer dropped in from above. He landed in a tree, and then observed.

Kirito and Asuna both jabbed and slashed this way and that, but the black Ex-Aid was either dodging them, or blocking them.

"Why are you doing this?!" Kirito demanded.

"He **a** t **h** **c** _l_ i **i** _f_ f… _A_ k **i** _h_ **i** _ **k**_ o K _a_ **y** _a_ **b** _ **a**_ **'** s _o_ r **d** _e_ _ **r**_ **s**!" The black Ex-Aid replied.

He then twisted his Bugvisor around.

 **GE-IING!**

He slashed Asuna out of the way, but Ex-Aid intercepted his next strike, however, it only pushed him back. Klein came from upward and slashed downward, but the black Ex-Aid moved and sliced his back. Kirito charged in, and locked blades with him.

" _I_ t **'** **s** _i_ r **o** n _i_ **c** …" The black Ex-Aid remarked. " _Y_ **o** u **c** _l_ a _i_ **m** _t_ **o** **b** e _t_ **h** e _g_ **r** e _ **at**_ _e_ s _t_ _s_ **w** o _ **r**_ **d** _s_ m _a_ n _i_ **n** **S** _w_ o _ **r**_ _d_ **A** _r_ t **O** _n_ l _ **i**_ _n_ _ **e**_ …"

Both him and Kirito began to moved clockwise until they have exchanged spots.

" **Y** e _t_ **y** _o_ u _c_ **a** n _'_ **t** _e_ **v** _e_ n _s_ **a** v _ **e**_ a 1 _2_ **-** _y_ **e** _a_ **r** _-_ **o** _l_ d…" He finished.

Kirito ticked. The way that man was speaking… this wasn't a game anymore. This was a battle of wits now. Both disengaged. Kirito screamed in and then charged in madly.

"Kirito?!" Asuna called.

"He's lost it!" Klein shouted.

Kirito swung his swords around, but the black Ex-Aid was dodging them effortlessly. At one point, he even caught one of the blades, and then he palm-thrusted him. Kirito fell on his back, losing grip of his swords. The black Ex-Aid grabbed a wheel from his right shoulder armor, and then began to charge.

"Look out!" Silica shouted.

Lazer then dived down. The black Ex-Aid threw the wheel, but Lazer swopped in just in time to move Kirito out of the way. Once cleared, Kirito began to move aggressively towards the black Ex-Aid. However, Lazer tripped him up and then nailed him down.

"Let me go!" Kirito demanded.

"Why should I?!" Lazer shouted back. "You told me you still trust Kikuoka, didn't you?!"

"Even after this, you're going to go all hell-blazing just because he kept a secret?!" He continued. "You would still believe in him! You said it yourself!"

"Now the matter is not him! It's you!" He went on. "Look at yourself! Do you believe in yourself that you believe him?! Or what you said to me earlier was only a onetime thing?!"

Kirito stopped. Lazer got off of him, and helped him up.

"He's… calmed down?" Leafa commented.

"Alright, now that you've calmed down, you know what to do, right?" Lazer smiled. "I'm behind you 100%."

He walked over and grabbed Kirito's swords, tossing them to him as well.

"Lazer…" Ex-Aid cooed.

Kirito slashed the black Ex-Aid, launching him into the fountain. He struggled out of the pond, stumbling back onto the ground.

"So…" Brave's voice said. "We defeat him, and the Bugsters will be no more?"

"I'll join in." Snipe's also said. "But, I'll be taking the Gashat."

Both Riders walked into the area. Both were eager to get going.

"Nice of you to join us." Sinon remarked in an annoyed voice.

"We'll have to do this in an 8-Player co-op!" Ex-Aid suggested.

The remaining Riders pulled out their Gashats and pressed them.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

 **BAKUSOU BIKE!**

All three Riders then inserted their Gashats into their Drivers.

"Henshin!" They all said.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

All of them transformed into the Level 1 forms, as that is the only form they need to be in right now. Ex-Aid pulled out the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat, and pressed it once.

 **FANG!**

Three copies of the Gashat appeared in the other Rider's hands, and they pressed theirs as well.

 **BLADE!**

 **GUN!**

 **CLAW!**

Then, they all inserted it into their Drivers.

 **GASHATTO!**

"Proceeding to Level 5!" Brave announced.

"Phase 5." Snipe declared.

"Fifth gear!" Lazer cheered.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **BABABANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

 **BAKUSOU! DOKUSOU! GEKISOU! BOUSOU! BAKUSOU BIKE!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER!**

 **BRAVE!**

 **SNIPE!**

 **LAZER!**

 **EX-AID!**

The arm and leg attachments detached from Ex-Aid, and floated towards the others. Brave got his attachments, Snipe got his, and Lazer got his. Now, they just need to pair up.

Ex-Aid walked up to Kirito.

"What do you say, man?" He asked.

"Sure, why not?" Kirito remarked.

 **Ex-Aid/Kirito.**

Brave found Asuna.

"Would you like to battle as one?" He asked.

"Of course!" Asuna smiled.

 **Brave/Asuna.**

Snipe found Sinon, who took a few steps back.

"Looks like we'll be working together." He commented.

"Don't think I'm happy about that!" Sinon griped.

 **Snipe/Sinon.**

Lazer walked up to Klein, who clang his sword with his.

"Samurai buddies?" He asked.

"Samurai buddies!" Klein replied.

 **Lazer/Klein.**

The black Ex-Aid recovered, and stood back up. He charged at the Riders with all of the strength he had, but the Riders and their partners had no problems retaliating.

It was now an 8-on-1 fight, in 2-on-1 intervals. Ex-Aid would whack him with the tail, and Kirito would follow up with a slash on the back and the front.

The next opponents would be Brave and Asuna. They were moving in tandem with each other. Brave would slash once, and then Asuna would, they just went back and forth. To finish it off, both of them slashed in an X shape together.

Snipe and Sinon took over. Snipe would whack him on the head, then Sinon would trip the guy up with her tail (She is a Cait Sith, FYI). And once the black Ex-Aid got up, Sinon would shoot an arrow, while Snipe fired an energy blast, launching him.

To finish it off, was Klein and Lazer. And they didn't take that long. They just clanged their swords together, and while Klein slashed, Lazer did a bicycle kick

All of those fights, including the one with Lazer and Klein, finally pushed the black Ex-Aid too far, he was knocked into a tree, but in the process, the Shakariki Sports Gashat ejected from his Driver.

 **GASHUNN!**

The bike-armor pixelated off of the black Ex-Aid, in addition, his gauge went from half to low. Down to at least 10 percent.

"Give it up." Hiro said.

"Your Rider Gauge is almost zero, man." Lazer added. "It'll be game over for ya."

"Now, hand over Shakariki Sports like a good little boy." Snipe teased.

But Sinon had other ideas. She quickly bumped Snipe out of the way and grabbed the Gashat herself.

The black Ex-Aid groaned, but then he looked at Champ, who Liz and Silica were covering. He began to breath heavily.

" _I_ **'** m… **s** _o_ **c** _l_ o _ **s**_ **e** …!" He growled slowly.

He then pulled out a blank white Gashat and plugged it into the BugVisor.

 **GASHATTO!**

He stood back up, and quickly roundhouse-kicked Sinon across the face, making her drop the Gashat. Quickly catching it, he inserted it into the slot next to the belt.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Turning his body towards Liz and Silica, he jumped into the air, pressing the button again.

 **SHAKARIKI CRITICAL STRIKE!**

He dived down for a kick.

"Liz! Look out!" Kirito shouted.

Ex-Aid began to run towards. Liz just summoned her mace.

"Oh, no you don't!" She claimed.

She jumped and with one swing, she whacked the black Ex-Aid aside, sending it to Ex-Aid, who in turn, tail-whipped him.

The black Ex-Aid landed on the ground, destroying the water fountain in the process. But, he slowly stood back up. Electricity crackled all over him as his gauge finally depleted. However, he didn't just fall over dead. He just stood there for a few minutes, his whole body pixelating in and out of existence with electricity still crackling over his body. Summoning what little strength he had, the black Ex-Aid then stabbed his chest with the BugVisor. He grunted a bit from the initial pain, but then, orange aura began to absorb into the BugVisor. Then, once it had finished, there was metal guitar riff, as well as some sighing.

"Hey…" Klein commented. "How is he alive?"

"That is what should happen…" Brave muttered.

"How are you alive?" Sinon shouted.

The black Ex-Aid chuckled quietly.

" _T_ **h** e _r_ **e** _'_ s _n_ o **p** o _i_ **n** _t_ _i_ **n** **h** _i_ d _i_ **n** _g_ _m_ **y** _i_ **d** e _ **n**_ **t** _i_ _ **t**_ y _a_ **n** y _ **m**_ o _r_ **e**." He answered. " _I_ **a** m **K** _a_ m _ **e**_ n **R** _i_ d _ **e**_ r… **G** _e_ n _ **m**_ u!"

Everyone stopped when the black Ex-Aid revealed his name.

"Genmu…?" Liz whispered. "Wait!"

But her question was already answered when the black Ex-Aid cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

The black Ex-Aid disappeared. And in his place, stood an Undine. His garbs were all torn and scorched with black burn marks. And the usually clean Undine hair is now tangled up, almost bed hair looking. Above the player, stood the name Genmu. He smiled maniacally.

"Genmu…" Ex-Aid whispered.

"Lazer, so you were telling the truth…" Brave mentioned.

Snipe looked on with cold eyes. Lazer also looked on hard.

"Why…" Asuna started. "Weren't you our ally? What is this about?"

"I was just using you as beta test players." Genmu explained. "You children should be very familiar with that."

The SAO players winced. They had gone through the hell that was Sword Art Online, where Akihiko Kayaba had trapped them in for who knows how long.

"You didn't answer my question!" Asuna asked. "Why are you doing this?!"

Genmu chuckled.

"I'm doing this…" He said, his voice quickly going to shouting. "Is to create THE ULTIMATE GAME!"

Kirito began to step forward, but he stopped when Genmu viciously pointed the BugVisor at him.

"Kazuto Kirigaya!" He called. "The Black Swordsman… how much longer can you avoid the truth? That you are not the king of this world…"

"Hey, I never considered myself to be the king of the world!" Kirito shouted.

Genmu ignored him, and turned his attention to the whole crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen…" He began. "Our game has only just begun!"

He then turned around and looked on to the sky. He breathed out and lumped something huge on them all.

"The Bugster Virus has already spread to most of the players in this game…" He cooed "They could break out at any moment…"

Everyone froze. The Bugster has already broken out? The situation just went up to eleven.

"Everyone…?" Silica whispered.

"Everyone's at risk now!" Leafa declared.

Genmu faced them again. He lifted his BugVisor up to his chin, smiling menacingly again.

"And now that all 10 Gashats have been gathered…" He growled. "The decision that they will save humanity... is up to you."

And once he was done, he fired several laser blasts. Everyone was able to dodge, but that gave Genmu a long enough opening to escape. That left the Kamen Riders, and the SAO gang in shock, unexplainably baffled by this revelation.

Elsewhere, later that night, Pallad was chilling out in what appears to be a warehouse of some kind. He was still playing on his mobile device. Next to him, was a computer with several spare parts strewn next to them. There was also a screen, keyboard, and a mouse. On the wall, there were several screens depicting the opening sequemce for several games. And those games involve Mighty Action X, DoReMiFa Beat, Bang Bang Shooting, and Gekitotsu Robots.

He kept on playing until a stumbling someone walked in. Genmu, still battered from his fight, caught himself from falling down. He breathed heavily and then lifted the BugVisor up. He then pulled out the Gashat from it.

 **GASHUNN!**

"It's complete…!" He groaned.

The Gashat then glowed purple, and the art of it appeared.

"To think you would collect death data from your own body…" Pallad said.

"Considering how long I've been using the Proto-Gashat." Genmu replied. "This was unavoidable."

"There aren't any more words to describe you, dude!" Pallad laughed. "Hell, even 'terrifying' isn't enough!"

"There is no stopping us now…" Genmu smiled, still breathing like a wild animal. "This is only the beginning!"

Pallad leaned over his shoulder to take a good look at the Gashat.

"Hehehe…" He laughed. "A new game has been selected!"

Both of them looked on at the Gashat. In the background, a familiar guitar riff could be heard.


	20. DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!

Chapter 20: DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!

With everything in the previous chapter happening, the gang had now split up.

Lazer was now just slowly walking away when he was approached by Kirito and Asuna.

"Lazer!" Kirito called.

Lazer turned around and saw Kirito and Asuna. Liz was a bit behind them, holding Champ.

"Looks like you were right." Kirito continued. "GENM's CEO was the black Ex-Aid…"

Lazer scoffed.

"Looks like you fellows can trust me a bit now, right?" He asked.

"Yes…" Asuna answered. "But we want to know something."

Lazer looked puzzled.

"We want to know how you are connected to the Bugsters." Asuna asked. "What happened to you that made you decide to battle them?"

Lazer then looked down. He was going to have to answer this question one way or another. There was no avoiding it now.

"Well, to tell you the truth…" He began. "I actually lost my fiancée to the Bugsters."

Kirito and Asuna were shocked when they heard this. First, Brave lost his girlfriend, and coincidentally, Sinon lost her mother, and now Lazer lost the love of his life.

'Just how dangerous are these things?!' Asuna thought.

"By the time I was able to tell her, the damage was already done." Lazer sighed. "The Bugster was already got to its critical phase, and she was gone in a matter of minutes."

"The truth is always hard to swallow." Kirito said. "Sometimes, it can only make your life more painful."

"Well said, kid." Lazer replied. "That's why I'm doing this. When I succeed, I can at least continue on with my life, knowing she'll finally rest in peace."

Klein then popped in from nowhere, and then wrapped his arm around Lazer's neck.

"Ha! I knew you weren't that guy!" He smiled.

Lazer chuckled, and playfully punched him in the stomach.

"Well, I'll do what I can do to find the source of all of this." Lazer said. "While you kids handle that."

He pointed at Liz and Champ, who was still struggling as he was still infected.

"Leave it to us, man!" Klein cheered.

Lazer smiled, and then proceeded to log out. Once he was gone, the SAO gang, helped Liz and Champ back to Liz's shop

 _ **Ex-Aid Online**_

The gang was now back in Liz's shop. Silica had decided to tend to Champ, while everyone else began discussing about Genmu and the "ultimate game" he flaunted about.

"So Genmu was the black Ex-Aid…" Sinon muttered. "Who would've thought?"

"And he said he was using us as test players!" Poppy frowned. "Pipupepo Panic~!"

"So far, the employees at GENM Corp. were unaware of his actions." Brave explained. "Furthermore, Kuruto has gone missing. The police are investigating now."

"Right now, our primary focus should be hunting down the Bugster." Ex-Aid said. "If we do that, Champ will be cured."

Liz hadn't said a thing. She was quietly fiddling with her fingers.

"Liz? You okay?" Kirito asked.

"No…" Liz answered quietly.

"What's the matter?" Asuna asked.

"It's just…" Liz replied. "This was Champ's first Christmas with me… this isn't how I wanted it to be like."

Just then, Silica came out of the room Champ was resting in.

"He's asleep now." She said.

"Alright." Ex-Aid replied. "We can hunt for the Bugster now."

With that, everyone began to file out of the shop. Liz didn't move.

"Hey." Klein asked. "You comin'?"

"I'll… I'll catch up." Liz answered.

Klein then last exited the shop. Liz breathed in, and walked into the room where Champ was sleeping in. She crouched down and then brushed his hair a bit.

"Don't worry, little guy…" She whispered. "I'll make you all better. Then, we'll have the most awesome Christmas ever…"

She then gave Champ a small peck on his forehead. An idea flew into her head shortly afterwards.

"Ah, I got it!" She said.

Liz then lifted Champ off of his bed and then walked out.

"I'll take you to your favorite place here!" She smiled.

Liz sprouted her wings, and then flew off.

IR, Kiriya was in a rather droopy looking place. He was sitting on a chair with a pane of glass in front of him, behind him, was a police officer.

Then, the door on the other side of the glass opened with a loud sound of creaking metal. Through the door came in one cop, and a prisoner, and then another cop. They sat the prisoner down in front of Kiriya, and they took stances on either side of him.

"I'm Kujo Kiriya." Kiriya smiled. "Nice to meet you… Dan Masamune."

The prisoner looked up, with no emotion shown in his face.

"What do you want from me?" He asked.

"I have a question for ya." Kiriya chuckled. "If you don't mind answering them, of course."

Back in ALO, Liz was still flying on. She carried Champ on her back and then landed somewhere.

"Well, here we are!" Liz declared.

Champ slowly woke up to the sound of her voice. He looked around. There was a small tree resting on the side of a lake. The lake before the tree was large, silently making swishing sounds.

"Liz…" Champ whispered. "Is this…?"

"Yep." Liz smiled, sitting down next to him. "This is the place where you began learning how to fly."

Champ nodded. He felt the grass slowly blowing on the wind.

"I thought… well…" Liz stuttered. "Your first Christmas with me wasn't going as I though… so I thought this would make up for it."

Champ looked up at Liz. He leaned on to her side, which startled Liz a bit.

"It's okay…" He said quietly. "Being with you here is a present enough."

Liz smiled and then leaned her head on top of Champ's. At least we got a warm feeling here.

"Found you!" shouted a voice.

Liz looked around and saw Salty walking towards them.

"If I delete this boy, I shall be complete!" Salty shouted.

"I dare to try!" Liz said, summoning her weapons.

Liz then charged towards Salty. However, despite a good swing, Salty received little to no damage, and he just punched her aside.

"A valiant effort, my dear!" Salty smiled. "But… I believe you are too salty."

He clapped his hands, and then mooks appeared behind him.

"Season her up, chefs!" Salty declared.

But as soon as she said that, a black sword flew in from the sky and landed on the ground right in front of Salty.

"What in the-?" Salty began.

But he couldn't finish, as he was met with three feet to the face from Kirito, Asuna and Silica. Sinon, Leafa and Klein followed behind and helped Champ to safety.

Lastly, Ex-Aid came up, already in Level 2. He grabbed the Gashacon Breaker, and then slammed Salty on the head. Salty stumbled a bit.

"Let's give this a try!" Ex-Aid smirked, pulling out a neon green Gashat.

He pressed it, and a BMX bike appeared behind him. Then it rode around him.

 **SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

When everyone saw the Gashat, they were confused.

"Hey!" Klein shouted. "Where did you get that Gashat?"

"I got it when we beat Genmu yesterday!" Ex-Aid replied, closing the driver and inserting the Gashat.

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

"Dai Dai Dai Henshin!" Ex-Aid announced, opening the Driver back up.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION!** **X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **SHAKARIKI, SHAKARIKI, BAD!** **BAD! SHAKATTO, RIKITTO, SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

The bike then jumped into the air and then landed itself on the top of Ex-Aid.

"Let's clear this game with no continues!" He shouted.

He popped out a bike wheel, and then proceeded to attack Salty. Kirito and the others proceeded to attack the mooks.

Brave jumped into the fray later, also in Level 3. Ex-Aid kicked Salty in the stomach, and then Brave slashed Salty's back.

"There is nothing I cannot cut!" Brave declared.

He continued to slash Salty. Salty responded with an electric pulse attack, which Brave dodged. But the attack landed on Ex-Aid. That sent him flying into one of Mighty Action X's blocks. That had an Energy Item, and it gave Ex-Aid… something.

 **CHRISTMAS!**

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Ex-Aid. Ex-Aid slowly got back up and then looked at himself. He was in his Level 1 chibi form, but he had a Santa beard and a Santa hat, also holding a sack resembling Santa's Christmas sack. Behind him was the Shakariki Sports BMX bike, covered in Christmas banners and streamers.

"Wha-?" Ex-Aid muttered. "What is this?!"

Poppy popped out of Ex-Aid's pocket with a huge smile on her face.

"It's the seasonal special item!" She cheered. "Christmas!"

Ex-Aid looked around himself.

"Well, I guess I'll have to get into the holiday spirit!" He acknowledged.

He then grabbed the Gashacon Breaker out of the present sack, and then proceeded to attack Salty.

Poppy had other ideas. She flew over to an area where there were a lot more blocks. Poppy's body glowed and she turned herself into a human size. She then began to charge, and then she threw several strikes at the blocks. The blocks broke open and revealed the same Energy Items. They began to float towards their respective persons. Brave, Kirito, Asuna, Silica, Liz, Sinon, Klein, Leafa and even Poppy herself got a new Christmas outfit.

 **CHRISTMAS!**

"What is this?" Brave asked.

Brave had Santa beard as well, but his Level 3 form also received major changes. The hat now had reindeer antlers, and the shoulder boom-box had streamers. His armor also had sorts of Christmas-oriented ornaments.

"Christmas, huh?" Kirito mused.

He and Klein only received minor changes. For example, they got reindeer antlers and even the occasional Christmas streamers.

The girls got major changes. Their clothes changed to red from their original colors. Sinon and Silica had a bell on their necks, Leafa had a mistletoe flower at the end of her ponytail, and Liz received a red top hat. Asuna received glowing white boots with red laces.

Whereas Poppy, received a fluffy red dress, complete with a small red Santa hat by the side of her head.

"This is my Christmas gift to the world!" She smiled cheerfully.

Brave was still befuddled by this, touching the Christmas parts of his attire.

"What's going on here?" He asked.

Poppy rushed over to him.

"Brave, I need something!" She said, grabbed Brave's arm, which conveniently had the scratchboard.

She scratched it a couple times, and then a hip hop version of jingle bells began to play. She smiled in delight.

"He-, hey!" Brave began.

"C'mon, everyone!" Ex-Aid chimed in, taking a break from fighting Salty. "This is how you do rhythm games!"

Then, both Riders began to attack Salty, while the SAO gang still looked on what Poppy was doing.

Poppy, of all things she could be doing right now, was singing Jingle Bells in her unique way.

 _Pipple Pell, Pipple Pell pupupa papu~_

 _Pupupo pipupupi pipapipopapapau~_

Brave then proceeded to attack Salty along with Ex-Aid. Now, Salty was getting close to his defeat.

 _Pipple Pell, Pipple Pell pupupa papu~_

 _Popipi popapipipi pipipapapa!_

As Poppy kept on singing, the Bugster mooks began to crowd around her and danced in tandem with her music.

"Wait, that's allowed?!" Klein asked

 _Papipepopipo pepepopapopi~_

 _Pupipopapapo papupupapopu~_

 _Papapipopepo papapipupepa~_

 _Papapopipupapipo papapipapupa!_

Salty was about to land a punch on Brave, but Ex-Aid blocked it and then landed several critical hits on Salty.

"This is my rhythm!" Brave remarked. "Don't interfere!"

"Don't be a Grinch, man!" Kirito replied.

 _Pipple Pell, Pipple Pell pupupa papu!_

 _Pupupo pipupupi pipapipopapapau~_

"I'm so salty!" Salty screamed.

But Ex-Aid responded with a hammer swing to the face.

 _Pipple Pell, Pipple Pell pupupa papu!_

"B button!" Ex-Aid declared.

Both Riders pressed the B button of their weapons and landed their last attack on Salty. Salty fell on the ground with a loud thud, and electricity crackled around him.

 _Popipi popopipipo pipopipopa!_

The remaining mooks surrounded Salty's body and rasied their arms in an opera like sense.

The SAO gang arranged themselves around Ex-Aid, Brave, and the now finished-singing Poppy as the Bugsters exploded behind them.

"Merry Christmas!" Ex-Aid announced.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

Unbeknownst to them, the Bugster residue left behind then began to gather towards one place. Pallad was behind a tree, holding the Gashacon BugVisor. It was absorbing Salty's Bugster data.

"Huh?" Salty remarked. "Hello? Where am I?"

Pallad just grinned, and then disappeared.

Back to the main characters, Ex-Aid just finished checking out Champ.

"He's cured." He replied. "You're alright now, kid."

Champ smiled, but that smiled didn't last long as he was tackled by a very happy Liz.

"Yes!" She cheered. "Thank you!"

"Liz…!" Champ tried to speak. "You're embarrassing me here…!"

Everyone chuckled at the sight.

The next day, it was Christmas Day, so everyone had decided to meet up. They were currently in Matt's (Agil's) café, with a table that is littered with sweet looking foods and whatnot. They all raised their glasses and clanged them together.

"Merry Christmas!" They all shouted.

They began to talking to each other for a good Christmas.

"Alright everyone!" Matt called. "I've got a surprise!"

He then walked in with a very good looking Christmas cake.

"A special order on the house! My wife got this special order for the holidays!" Matt smiled.

He placed the cake on the table, and then went back behind the counter. Hiro walked up to the cake with his hands up.

"Scalpel." He said.

"Figured you'd say that." Emu sighed, handing him a knife.

Soon later, all of the food has been devoured, and the people were just now talking amongst themselves.

"I have a question." Rika asked.

"What is it?" Hiro asked.

"That Bugster was odd." Rika explained. "He said that they've leveled up… what is that supposed to mean?"

Everyone turned silent to the incoming question. Emu and Hiro knew the answer.

"The answer is simple." Hiro replied. "The virus is mutating."

"'Mutating'?" Kazuto asked.

"To put it in simpler terms, the virus is evolving." Emu explained. "Now that they have experienced the first symptoms, they have now made themselves immune to manmade vaccines."

Everyone turned silent. Now the Bugsters are adapting to their fights. What else will they become?

But that train of thought interrupted when Emu received a phone call. He quickly answered it, but he quickly set it down on the table with the speaker on.

"Hello?" Kiriya's voice called.

"Kiriya?" Ryotaro asked. "Is it you?"

"Yep, it's me!" Kiriya continued. "Can you guys go online today?"

"Why do you ask?" Asuna asked.

"I finally found out what was going on with the Bugsters." Kiriya explained. "It would be too dangerous to talk live so AR would the best place to talk."

Everyone thought about this decision.

"Alright, we'll be there." Shino replied.

"I'll be waiting!" Kiriya concluded.

Then, the call got cut off, and everyone began departing for their homes. Hiro left the payment on the table. By the time Matt got back from a quick bathroom break, everyone was gone.

"What is up with everyone these days?" He asked.

Taiga was just walking out as well. He had also received the call from Kiriya. On his way out however, he saw a figure blocking his path.

The figure was girl, no younger than Asuna. She was wearing a hat, as well as red jacket over a graphic T-Shirt. Short shorts and shoes with outstandish socks were worn as well. Add a backpack with Mighty Action X pins for good measure.

"And you are…?" Taiga asked.

The girl looked up and responded.

"I have a favor." She asked. "Can you beat the Genius Gamer… M… and Black Swordsmen Kirito?"

Taiga was puzzled by the question, so he just ignored her and moved on.

Now, the ALO skies were as clear as crystal. Lazer was just chilling out on an abandoned temple, sitting on a pillar. He then heard steps. He looked to see who it was. It was an Undine. A familiar one at that.

"Well, well ,well." Lazer smirked. "Who invited you?"

Genmu was casually walking towards him. He had briefcase in one hand, and his staff in the other.

"So I've heard you visited my father?" He asked.

Lazer jumped down from the pillar.

"And if I did?" Lazer asked.

"Knowing the kind of man he is, I'm certain that he has squealed." Genmu stated.

Lazer looked at him cautiously.

"That doesn't explain why you're still here." Lazer said.

Genmu chuckled, and then lifted the briefcase. He opened it up and revealed the contents of it to Lazer. It had a single Gashat.

"Another one?" Lazer asked. "So there weren't just ten?"

"I'm giving you a choice, my dear Lazer." Genmu stated. "I'll let you have this Gashat, in turn you keep your mouth shut about this."

Lazer thought about it. After a quick thinking session, he agreed.

"Okay." He said.

Lazer grabbed the Gashat and then began to walk away. But, he quickly turned around and threw the Gashat back at Genmu, who caught the Gashat with no difficulty.

"Yeah, like I was just going to accept a bet like that!" Lazer taunted.

Genmu retained his composure.

"How about a wager?" Lazer asked, putting on his Driver.

He then pulled out two of his Gashats, pressing them as well.

 **BAKUSOU BIKE!**

 **GIRIGIRI CHAMBARA!**

"If you win, I'll keep my mouth shut." Lazer stated.

He then inserted the Gashats in.

 **GASHATTO! GASHATTO!**

"Third gear!" Lazer declared.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **BAKUSOU! DOKUSOU! GEKISOU! BOUSOU! BAKUSOU BIKE!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! CHAMBARA!**

Lazer then turned into his Rider form. First, the chibi Level 1 form took his original place. Then, the samurai robot from Girigiri Chambara split apart and attached themselves onto Lazer's limbs. But before they did, the chibi form broke off and the bike body flipped around. Then, the robot limbs attached.

"But if I win, I'll blab to the whole world about your 'Ultimate Game'." He concluded.

He then summoned his weapons into his hands.

 **GASHACON SPARROW!**

Genmu laughed. He tossed the briefcase and the staff aside, and showed off the Gashat. He then grabbed another item. It wrapped around his waist.

'A Driver?' Lazer thought.

Genmu then summonded the Gashacon BugVisor to his hands, and placed it on the buckle.

 **GACHANN!**

An ominous standby music began to play. Genmu then raised the Gashat to his face, and smiled.

"I accept your wager." Genmu responded, pressing the Gashat.

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

A black game area spread all over the area.

Meanwhile, Ex-Aid, Brave, and the SAO gang were running towards the area Lazer told them to get to. However, they were interrupted when a horde of Bugster spawned in front of them. Well, not all of them. Klein and Silica were behind the horde. But something was strange about the horde of Bugsters. They were growling and moving around floppily like… well, zombies.

"Where did these come from?" Kirito asked, summoning his weapons.

The Riders pulled out their Gashats and the other players began to summon their weapons as well.

"Silica! Klein!" Liz called. "You guys go ahead!"

Klein and Silica first hesitated, but they knew they had to go. They sprouted their wings and took off to the air.

Snipe was also met by the same horde.

"What's going on…?" He asked.

He pulled out his Gashat, and then began to attack.

Back with Genmu and Lazer, Lazer was preparing for Genmu's attack. Genmu stretched his hand so the Gashat is now away from his body. He flipped his hand, so now the Gashat is now facing downward.

"Henshin." Genmu said.

He then inserted the Gashat into the BugVisor, and pushed the button underneath the Gashat insertion.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP!**

 **DANGER! DANGER! GENOCIDE! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

The above jingle was followed by deafening zombie roar. A character face card appeared in front of Genmu, and after showing Genmu's 8-Bit characters, one in white and another in red, the card began to crumble. And then, a white arm struke through. And then, the card burst into the dust, and then a white Rider burst in. It had white scaly armor, and the Rider Gauge was cracked. The visor looked cracked as well, as one eye was blue, while the other was blood red.

Genmu then began to phase in and out. And everytime he did phase out, he would move uncontralably and wiggle his arms and torso, making groaning sounds along the way. Once finished, he was glaring at Lazer.

"Now, I am Kamen Rider Genmu…" He groaned. "Level 10!"

"Level 10…?" Lazer asked.

Genmu slowly raised his head, but when he did, his head tilted sideways, so now his head leaning to the side.

"Let's… battle…" He groaned.

Lazer raised his Sparrows and braced for an attack.

Genmu darted forward like a zombie. By the time Lazer was able to locate him. Genmu was already in front of him. Genmu grabbed his chin and the circle-threw him down to the ground. Genmu then began slam his hand downward, LAzer was able to roll out of the way. He used his Sparrow to slice his arm, and then with the momentum, he stood back up and attached the two Sparrows together.

 **ZU-DONN!**

He was about to fire, but Genmu grabbed him and then just chucked him outside. He groaned like a zombie as he went after him.

At the same time, Klein and Silica finally arrived near the location Lazer sent them.

"This is the place, isn't it?" Klein asked.

"Yes, it is!" Silica replied. "Now, we just have to find him!"

But just as she said that, Lazer tumbled right in front of them. He was badly hurt. His Rider Gauge was at half. Both players quickly made their way over.

"Lazer!" Klein called. "You okay, bro?"

Lazer sighed, and slowly stood back up. Suddenly, a loud thrashing could be heard. Silica and Klein then met Genmu, walking towards them with his arms stretched out.

"That's Genmu!" Klein remarked.

"But… he looks… different?" Silcia added.

Lazer then took the chance to insert his Gashat into the Sparrow.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

He then stood up and shoved Klein and Silica out of the way.

"Hey!" Klein shouted. "What was that for?!"

"You can't beat him!" Lazer shouted back.

 **GIRIGIRI CRITICAL FINISH!**

He then aimed it towards Genmu. Energy began to build up as Lazer fired a powerful energy arrow at Genmu. He took the attack head on. Genmu now had a hole in his torso.

"Yeah!" Klein cheered. "You got him!"

But black aura oozed out of Genmu. The hole mark slowly disappeared off of his body. Genmu wiggled his body as the mark vanished.

"Huh?" Silica uttered. "What happened?"

Lazer gritted his teeth, and pressed the B button on his Sparrow, separating them, not removing the Gashat.

 **ZU-PANN!**

Lazer charged at Genmu. He slashed this way and that, but Genmu just took the attacks. The slash marks that kept on appearing disappeared quickly. Lazer then slammed the Sparrows downward, but Genmu caught his arms. He bounced them up and the palm thrusted Lazer in the chest. Lazer fell back, losing grip of both Sparrows. They fell into Genmu's grasp, and he grabbed them backhanded. And in one brief second, he spun-attacked Lazer. The Sparrows gave out a huge damage buff to Genmu, and Lazer was on the receiving end of it. Lazer stumbled onto the ground, his Rider Gauge now dropping to the last bar.

"Now, let's put you out of your misery." Genmu chuckled.

"Pina!" Silica shouted.

Pina dived down and pecked Genmu's head. And Pina quickly flew away back to Silica's side.

"Klein! Now!" Silica called.

Klein jumped upward with his sword raised above his head. Genmu hesistated a bit, and Klein slashed straight down his body. Klein looked up to see Genmu fall onto his back. He smirked at the kill.

"Gotcha!" He cheered.

But he celebrated to soon. The same black aura from before emanated from Genmu. He then swung his body back up, groaning all the way. His eyes glowed.

"…is what you would've said…" He growled.

Klein turned around and was grabbed in the collar. Genmu then threw him up and and slashed his abdomen twice. He was launched into a tree.

"Klein!" Silica shouted.

She jumped down, dagger in hand, and ran towards Genmu. Genmu only responded by attaching the Sparrows together.

 **ZU-DONN!**

He then noticed that the Girigiri Chambara Gashat was still inserted. He pulled it back and then inserted it back in.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

He then aimed it viciously at Silica, who stopped while gasping.

 **GIRIGIRI CRITICAL FINISH!**

Genmu fired several arrows at Silica. And since she didn't have anyone to cover, she took the arrows straight to her torso. She fell back, and Pina flew beside her to give her form of comfort.

Genmu looked on. Lazer, Klein, and Silica were now incapacitated. He tossed the Sparrows aside, and pressed both buttons on the BugVisor. That initiated a standby sound.

"Now…" He whispered. "Who should I get first…?"

Lazer looked up. He saw Genmu was now just observing the unconscientious bodies of Klein and Silica. Genmu then looked at Silica.

"I guess I'll get rid of you first." Genmu stated.

He pressed the A Button of the BugVisor.

 **CRITICAL END!**

Lazer struggled back onto his feet, and hobbled over to Silica. Genmu had just taken into the air, spinning in the air. He then stretched his foot out for a kick, black lightning and aura emanating. Lazer got in the way just in time, and got ready to throw a punch. Genmu came down hard, but when he saw Lazer in his line of fire, he accelerated. Lazer threw his punch, but Genmu landed the kick straight onto Lazer's chest, resulting in an explosion.

Klein got back up just in time to see the attack happen.

"LAZER!" He screamed.

Genmu jumped out of the explosion, and landed back on the ground gracefully. Lazer was just standing there, slowly losing balance. His Rider Gauge went down to 0. Electricity crackled all over him. The Rider form then crashed, reverting him back to his Sylph body. He fell over on knees, and Genmu looked down on him condescendingly.

"I knew you would cover for her." He snarkily remarked.

Lazer looked up scornfully, and grabbed Genmu's arms to prop him up.

"Don't… think… you've… won…!" He said in a hurt voice.

Genmu scoffed, and just kicked him off of himself.

That's when the clear skies of ALO became dark with dark gray clouds. And with a couple of rain drops on several leaves, rain began to pour down. Genmu kept on looking down as Lazer breathed heavily.

"Sorry… Momoka…." Lazer muttered under his breath.

Just then, Kirito, Asuna, Brave, Lisbeth, Ex-Aid, Poppy, Snipe, and Sinon arrived.

"What the…?" Kirito uttered.

Snipe looked deeper into the rain. He saw Genmu just watching them on with a sharp look.

"Genmu…" He growled.

Genmu didn't reply. He simply dissipated into thin air. Everyone then made their way over to Lazer, who was on his back, breathing heavily. Leafa lifted his head.

"Just hold on!" She shouted. "I can heal you up!"

"Thanks for the help, kiddo." Lazer groaned. "But I don't think that's gonna happen."

He then showed everybody his hand. They were horrified. His hand was now pixelating in and out of existence.

'This is just the same with Yuko…!' Brave thought.

Silica kneeled down beside Lazer, which prompted him to look at her.

"Why…" Silica began, with sad eyes. "Why did you cover me…?"

"I don't like people who pick on little kids." Lazer scoffed, with a faint laugh in his voice. "I had to do somethin'."

Silica began to sniff. She was trying hold back her tears.

"Hey, man!" Klein shouted. "You still haven't told us why you called us here!"

"Nah…" Lazer replied. "There's no point in telling you now…"

"But…" He continued, looking at Klein. "Sorry for not being able to hang out with you next week… for New Year's…"

Klein also held back his tears, but his eyes were beginning to twinkle. Now, at this point, everyone was beginning to cry. Except Brave, Snipe, and Poppy, as they tried to look away. Lazer then whispered something to Leafa.

"Kirito, Ex-Aid." She called quietly.

Both Kirito and Ex-Aid then edged over to Lazer, who was now on his final moments. He summonded his strength and gave his Gamer Driver, with the Bakusou Bike still inserted, to Ex-Aid.

"Ex-Aid… no, Emu." Lazer began. "You… you have to carry on for me… I'm trusting this world to you…"

He took a glimpse at Kirito.

"To _both_ of ya…" He finished.

"Don't' forget it, Emu." Lazer continued. "Keep smiling. That's what makes you you."

"Kiriya…" Ex-Aid whispered.

Lazer then turned to Kirito.

"You're no different…" He said. "While Emu smiles, you fight to protect those you hold close to your heart… keep at it…!"

Kirito didn't reply. He just grabbed his hand.

Lazer smiled. He was glad at least people around him trusted him. Especially Klein. Albeit only knowing him for a few months, they have gotten really close.

Now, his body is now practically nonexistent.

"All of you…" He said with his final breath. "Change you fates… with your own hands!"

 **GAME OVER…**

Lazer then closed his eyes and let his body fall back to the ground. His body flashed, and he pixelated into nothing but bits. The person Leafa was holding… was gone.

IR, Kiriya's body had strangely disappeared as well. The above happened to him.

Now, the rain was drowning out every other sound the game had. Other than players' voices sniffing and crying.

Silica had her eyes covered with her arms. Klein had clenched a fist, tears dripping down his cheeks. Liz had collapsed onto her knees. Leafa and Asuna had their mouths covered with their hands, and Kirito clenched a fist harder, while also shedding some tears.

Snipe and Brave weren't crying, as they turned away out of respect. Poppy was holding Yui closely. Ex-Aid was crying the most, only holding Lazer's Gamer Driver and the Bakusou Bike Gashat.


	21. Double Up! Pt 1

Chapter 21: Double Up! Pt. 1

 **I've gotta believe!**

(A circle camera shot of Kirito and Asuna, back to back, looking around, as the world pixelates and revealing the title)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(The SAO gang talking together)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why?**

(The floor suddenly crash and all of them fall, their bodies pixelating into their SAO avatars)

 **Kizukeba I came too far**

(They slowly get up, looking around the pitch blackness)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The world shatters into color with the Riders walking behind them)

 **The new beginning**

(Each Rider show their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The SAO gang prepare to fight)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The Riders go Level 2)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(The Gamer Driver lever turns)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid VS Kirito and Asuna)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Brave VS Silica and Lisbeth, Snipe VS Sinon and Leafa)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(In an explosion, Lazer tears by with Ex-Aid riding)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Genm goes into Level 10, appearing in his Zombie Gamer form)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Ex-Aid goes into Level 10, then goes into Level 20, and then the Double Gamer)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid VS Genmu)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(The SAO gang surrounded by Bugsters from each Gashat game)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Sinon (GGO) and Snipe raising their guns to their faces)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Asuna and Brave clashing swords)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Kirito & Ex-Aid run towards each other as the title appears)

Two months have passed. Strangely though, as the Riders were a no-show, there were no signs of Bugsters either.

Several things have happened during the timeskip. For one, Emu quit his journalism job only a few days after Kiriya's death, as he wasn't pumping out articles as he used to. So, during the free time, he had taken up medical internships. Fact is that, he was hiding his medical school attending so he wouldn't be able to get on his journalist boss's suspicion. To be fair, he has been trying to juggle two things at once. But now, since one of his jobs have been offed, Emu can now focus and devote his time to his medical internship. During the previous chapters, he was on his pediactric internship, so now he was on his surgical internship with Hiro as his advisor.

Further information to be given, Ryotaro hasn't been online for a while either. It's like he was distancing himself.

Coming to the present, Emu was now practicing a stitch. He had just finished.

"How did I do?" Emu asked.

Hiro stood up from behind and observed his work.

"Not bad, kid." He replied. "But you took too long."

Emu sulked, and walked out with Hiro. He offered him a cup of coffee, which Emu accepted.

"How are you doing?" Hiro asked, taking a sip.

"What do you mean?" Emu asked.

"About the coroner." Hiro replied.

Emu perked down. Despite being only two months, he was still sad about it.

"I… uh…" Emu began.

"No need to speak." Hiro replied. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Hiro stood up, and then walked away.

"Just remember, dealing with death is a part of a doctor's job." He said.

Before walking away, Hiro gave Emu a pat on his shoulder.

"As doctors, we face the chances of death everyday." He reminded. "We can't deal with personal issues with that responsibility placed on our shoulders."

Emu just looked on at his cup of coffee. He quickly sent it down his throat and then left. Emu got to a special room with the letters CR, written in big letters, over the door. He found Hiro, on one bed, already with a AmuSphere on him. As much as he didn't want to, he grabbed the other pair and put it on as well, venturing into ALO.

Kazuto and Suguha sat on the couch in their living room. They had recovered from Kiriya's death, but they haven't shaken off the feeling. Suguha would often look at her hands. While holding Kiriya may have been virtual, it still felt real that someone had died.

"Why…" She whispered. "Why him…"

Kazuto moved over to her, and hugged her. He didn't want his sister to be like this.

"C'mon, don't blame yourself." He said warmly.

Suguha sighed, and looked at her brother. He always had a knack at making her smile.

"Why don't we just watch some TV to pass the time?" Kazuto asked.

Suguha nodded, and Kazuto quickly grabbed the remote. Kazuto turned the TV on, and a breaking new report came onto the screen.

"What the…?" Kazuto began.

The news was live right now. The camera was currently focusing on an empty seat, and it was covering the Ministry of Defense.

"What's going on?" Suguha asked.

Just then, someone stepped in. Hinata Kyotaro, of the Ministry of Defense, sat down on the empty seat. There were quick murmurs. After coughing into his hands for a bit, he spoke up.

"Thank you coming in such a short notice." He announced.

Suguha and Kazuto listened on closer.

"I am Hinata Kyotaro from the Ministry of Defense." He continued. "I am here to make an announcement."

"As of this moment, it shall be public knowledge that our country is under the threat of a new viral infection." He continued. "A computer game virus we named the Bugster virus, which have evolved to be able to infect humans."

"The virus reacts to its host's stress and mutates, eventually cuasing the symptoms of what we have come to call "game disease" to occur." He went on.

"But rest assured, the virus does not spread through physical contact." Kyotaro explained. "However, we are still in the early stages of research to find the underlying sources of the infections."

"As the disease progresses, a video game character we call Bugsters will manifest from this infection, threatening the survival of the patient." He concluded. "Furthermore, the disease's most prominent active site is the VRMMORPG game known as Alfheim Online."

The crowd of news reporters began to whisper and stammer quietly to each other.

"However, with an early diagnosis and prompt treatment, we can gurantee the patient's safety." Kyotaro assured.

When he said that, the screen beside him showed the blueprints of Kamen Rider Ex-Aid and Brave.

"The doctors of the now active Cyber Rescue Center are responsible for the treatment, and are equipped with the latest medical equipement." Kyotaro finished.

"Excuse me, minister!" A reporter called. "You have mentioned that this virus's most active in Alfheim Online. What do you mean by that?"

"Are players more susceptible to the virus if they continue playing?" Another reporter chimed in.

"Well, no." Kyotaro answered. "The Bugsters are very sporadic. We have no idea who has been infected until actual evidence is shown."

"So, while playing the game has no detriments." Kyotaro concluded. "We ask for your understanding and to stay calm, as to prevent a pandemic…"

Kazuto turned the TV off. He looked at Suguha, and both of them knew what to do. They quickly texted everybody and ran towards their rooms. Soon, they were on their beds and rolled into Alfheim Online.

Ex-Aid woke up to see the glowing blue sky and lustrious green fields of ALO. The winds were rustling the trees of his side, and birds chirping as they flew by. An energetic Poppy popped out of his pocket and flew to the front of his face.

"Are you okay?" She asked, worried about Ex-Aid.

"I'm fine." Ex-Aid replied.

He then walked towards the place he was going to go to in the first place: Brave's mansion.

During the two months, Brave had a lot of spare time, so he decided to load on quests and special missions to pass some time. He had gotten a buttload of money, and decided to spend it on building a mansion. He could've gotten a castle, but that would draw too much attention.

Ex-Aid knocked on the giant doors, and the doors opened with a loud creaking sound. He slowly entered and entered the dining hall. Brave was there, sitting with slice of cake in front of him.

"I've been waiting." He said as Ex-Aid took the seat in front of him.

"You should've told me if you were also bringing guests." Brave also added cheekily.

Ex-Aid looked confused, but Brave then grabbed his knife and threw it at the entrance. The butt of the knife hit something and landed back on the ground.

"Ow!" came Liz's voice.

Brave then casted an anti-invisbility spell. That revealed Liz, Silica, Leafa, Sinon, Asuna, Yui, and Kirito.

"How did you all get here?" Poppy asked in a very comic-like shocked voice.

Leafa waved at Poppy weakly, and she, along with the rest of her friends, sat down at the huge dining table.

"So, the minister's finally going public?" Kirito mentioned.

"Yeah." Ex-Aid replied. "After the trouble Graphite caused, you could only conceal so much information."

Finishing his cake, Brave looked around.

"Where's the samurai kid?" He asked.

"Klein?" Asuna said. "He hasn't been online for a while."

'Looks like I wasn't the only one hit by this…' Ex-Aid thought.

There was silence. The silence was only interrupted when Poppy then perked up.

"Bugster found!" She shouted.

That got everyone to get up and run outside, with Poppy taking the lead. Ex-Aid was the last one out.

The entourage followed Poppy to an old-looking player. He was clenching his chest, and was on his knees. While Liz and Silica helped him up, Yui looked into him.

"His name is Drago." She stated. "Level 102."

"Okay, slowly now, sir…" Silica said.

"Thanks, missy…" Drago groaned.

But then, an electric surge crackled through his body, and then began to moan in pain. Soon, orange blobs appeared. Brave put on his Gamer Driver, but right after he did that, the blobs darted towards Brave, forming into a familiar looking Bugster. He went for a slash with his staff, but Brave blocked with his hand.

"You…" Brave said. "Alhambra, right?"

Alhambra grunted and bounced off Brave. Brave took out his Gashat, and pressed it.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

Sinon then walked over to Ex-Aid, who was just standing there.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to help?" She asked sharply.

"Oh! Uh… right!" Ex-Aid replied.

He then put on his Gamer Driver, and pressed his Gashat.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Both game areas spread out across the area. After posing, both Riders inserted their Gashats into their Drivers.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Both Riders turned to their Level 1 forms.

"Let's take this somewhere else." Brave suggested, pressing the button on the side of his belt.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

Now, everyone except Drago, were all teleported to a quarry. Alhambra growled quietly, stroking his staff.

"Proceeding to Level 2." Brave said.

"Dai Henshin!" Ex-Aid called.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

Both Riders are now in their Level 2 forms. Summoning their weapons to their hands, Brave and Ex-Aid charged. The SAO gang also charged.

First, Brave slashed but Alhambra dodged it effortlessly. Then, Asuna and Kirito went for a blow just as Brave was about to slash again.

"Stop!" Alhambra chanted.

That got everyone to stop moving. They were frozen in their tracks.

"I… can't… move…!" Liz groaned.

"Wait…!" Leafa assured. "I think I can cast a spell to counter…!"

"I don't think so!" Alhambra interrupted.

He raised his staff to the air and tapped it on the ground.

"Shock!" He chanted again.

That sent lightning bolts straight at the Riders and the SAO gang. That dealt a huge amount of damage. The players fell to the ground.

"Looks like you've leveled up too…" Silica said.

"Of course!" Alhambra said. "I have learned from my downfall!"

"Looks like we can't simply handle this one like the last one, huh?" Sinon remarked.

Everyone then got up and braced themselves.

But then, they heard a heavy metal guitar riff. They looked around to look for where the sound came from. But then, they heard steps from behind them. They saw… Genmu. In his zombie form of Level 10.

"Genmu…" Kirito muttered.

He looked on at the SAO gang, then Alhambra, then back to the SAO gang. He paid particular attention to Brave and Ex-Aid.

"I have no need for you as beta testers." Genmu said. "I will be retrieving your Gashats."

Then, with a weapon appearing in his hand, he turned to SAO gang.

"And getting rid of you is part of the ensemble." He said with a smile in his voice.

 **GASHACON SPARROW!**

He had the Sparrow in his hands.

"That's… Lazer's weapon!" Leafa shouted.

That triggered something within Ex-Aid. He slowly stood up, and grabbed another Gashat from his holder. He was shaking as he pressed it.

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

The dragon appeared over Ex-Aid's head and roared. It then began to fly around.

"Hey, kid!" Brave shouted. "What are you doing?"

"Move it." Ex-Aid said coldly, shoving Brave out of the way.

He then inserted the Gashat in after closing the Driver back up.

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

"Dai Dai Dai Dai Dai Henshin!" He shouted.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

The dragon split apart and attached onto Ex-Aid. With a battle cry, Ex-Aid jumped into the air, and slammed the blade arm straight down at Genmu, causing an explosion. When the smoke cleared, the blade was jabbed in Genmu's chest, but Genmu himself, with purple aura emanating from him again, looked like he received no damage.

"But… how?" Sinon questioned. "He got him clean!"

"Look!" Yui told everyone.

She pointed at Genmu. They noticed something baffling. Not only was his Rider Gauge at 0, but his regular ALO health bar was also at 0.

"0?" Kirito shouted.

Ex-Aid looked up to see the empty Rider Gauge and health bar, but Genmu just grabbed him by his throat and hung him up in the air.

"I have transcended death." He said. "There's no way you can kill me now."

He then tossed Ex-Aid to Kirito, Asuna and Sinon, who were able to catch him.

"I shall be taking the Gashats back now…" He grinned, getting a tighter grip on the Sparrows.

 **ZU-PANN!**

Ex-Aid got back up and just charged at Genmu.

"Ex-Aid!" Brave called. "He's not important right now!"

Alhambra took the chance to whack Liz in the head, and Silica began her counterattack. Brave grabbed his sword and began helping her.

"Focus on the operation!" Brave called again.

But Ex-Aid wasn't hearing it. He was too busy trying to hurt Genmu, and so far, he wasn't having much luck.

"You killd Kiriya…" He said as he attacked. "I will make you pay!"

He kept on slashing with the blade arm and shooting with the gun arm. Genmu only took the damage head on, and continued to retaliate with slashes. Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon could only watch.

"Should we be helping?" Asuna asked.

"It's better if we stay out of this." Sinon replied.

But she spoke too soon. With one final sweep upward, Genmu threw Ex-Aid back into Asuna, Kirito, and Sinon.

"How about I let you see him now?" Genmu chuckled.

He pressed both buttons on the BugVisor. He then threw the Sparrows aside, and pressed the B button.

 **CRITICAL DEAD!**

A black void appeared in front of Ex-Aid, Kirito, Asuna and Sinon. Then, black silhouettes of zombies began to weigh them down. Suddenly, the silhouettes began to blink red. That meant they were about to explode.

Brave saw this, and just pushed Alhambra off of him. Silica and Liz saw it too, and the three began to run. They all grabbed Asuna, Kirito, Sinon, and Ex-Aid and pulled them out of the way before the attack destroyed them all. Once they were clear, Brave closed Ex-Aid's Driver back up and pulled out his Gashats, as well as doing it to his own.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Once that was done, the Riders and the SAO players both pixelated out of the area. Alhambra looked confused by their disappearance, but Genmu had an amused look.

Taiga was off doing his own thing. He was reading an article about Dan Kuroto's sudden "disappearance." As he continued reading, he found the whole thing more perplexing to believe in.

'Just what are you thinking…?' He thought.

"You, of all people, are asking that?" asked a voice.

Taiga looked over and saw the same girl he had met the previous chapter. She was leaning by the door.

"You again?" Taiga groaned.

The girl smirked. Taiga had only taken a glimpse of her once, and immediately he wanted to part in whatever she had in mind.

"Leave." Taiga said.

The girl had other ideas. She seemingly obliged, and then walked down the hall. Once she was out of Taiga's line of vision, she screamed. Taiga quickly ran to her and found her on her knees, holding her head, and groaning "in pain".

"What's going?" He asked.

"I think… game disease?" the girl asked.

Taiga acted quick. He quickly helped the girl over back to his office. He quickly checked her over, and scoffed once the result was taken.

"Game disease my ass, kid." Taiga remarked, turning back to his computer.

"Huh, you're actually pretty soft, mate." She quirked. "You actually examined me and everything."

Taiga wanted to beat her badly, but he decided to bottle his anger.

"How did you even find out about me, anyway?" He asked.

"Um… the internet?" The girl replied.

She then walked over and sat next to him on his desk.

"So, how's the whole 'beating M'plan coming along?" She asked with a little teasing in her voice.

Taiga ignored her, but the girl had another idea. She saw an AmuSphere on a shelf behind him, and quickly a look at it.

"Is this what you use?" She asked.

When Taiga saw what she was looking at, he quickly grabbed it out of her hands and then shoved her outside.

"This has no concern with you." He told her strictly. "Leave."

"Man… what a waste." Pallad commented. "You had that giant monstrosity of a video game company, and you threw it all away."

The current location was a warehouse, and Dan was typing on a computer while Pallad was just sitting idly by on a table.

"No need to worry." Dan assured. "It will all come back once this is finished."

He pressed the enter key and it displayed what seems to be the title card of a new game. The title it says was "Kamen Rider Chronicle."

"Soon, every person on the planet will realize this is the only game they will need." Dan said with satisfaction.

After messing with a Guitar Hero guitar, Pallad had another question.

"Speaking of which, how's my Gashat coming along?" He asked.

"While its base is complete, we still need a regulator to control its immense power." Dan explained.

He opened a new window and it showed the new Gashat. It was a lot thicker than the ones they own.

"All you have to do is plug it into a Bugster and collect test data. That should be it." He went on.

Pallad looked at the screen with keen interest.

"But that brings up something else." He mentioned. "What if the Riders get their hands on this?"

"If a normal human tries to use that Gashat, they'll be infected with by a Bugster Virus that a normal human wouldn't be able to handle." Dan explained

"Essentially, they'll die right on the spot." He finished.

Pallad looked at Dan, then the Gashat, back to Dan, and back to the Gashat.

"Is that so, huh?" He said. "Sounds fun."

Ex-Aid was now holding his hands in front of him, with his Gashats on a desk in front of him. Brave, sitting down on a chair, was giving him a pretty cold look, and the SAO players were on the side, just waiting for someone to speak.

"So…" Leafa said slowly.

She then received a glare from Brave, and that shut her immediately.

"I thought I told you this." Brave told Ex-Aid with any warmth. "We're responsible for a patient's life."

"Yes… I know…" Ex-Aid muttered.

"Mourning the coroner's death is one thing." Brave added. "That stunt you pulled back there… is another."

Ex-Aid sighed heavily.

"I… have no words regarding this." He replied. "I was acting irrationally."

"Irrational? More like stupid." Brave corrected coldly.

"Hey!" Liz shouted from the side, but Asuna covered her mouth quickly.

Brave didn't know how to handle this. He could only do one thing right now. As much as he didn't want to do this, he had to.

"I don't wanna do this." He said, standing up. "But I'm taking all of your Gashat's for the time being."

He then picked up all of his Gashats and then stored them away in his items list. Once he had done that, he began to walk out of his office.

"Uh, hey, wait!" Ex-Aid called.

"Look." Brave added, stopping in front of the doors. "As of now, you can't perform the operation."

That hit the nail on the head. With that said, Brave left his office. Ex-Aid just stood there with a disappointed look on his face.

"That sonuva-!" Liz began.

"Wait! Wait!" Asuna interrupted. "I'll talk to him!"

"You sure?" Kirito asked. "You could use another man."

"That would be fine." Asuna smiled.

With that said, Asuna and Kirito left to go after Brave. Once they had gone, Poppy popped out of Ex-Aid's pocket.

"Brave's right, y'know." She said. "Let's check on the patient for now."

"Right…" Ex-Aid sighed.

"We'll look for that Bugster." Sinon said.

And with that, Silica, Leafa, Sinon, and Silica left the room to look for Alhambra, while Poppy and Ex-Aid left to check on Drago, their current infected.

They found Drago in one of the bedrooms, on the bed. Before they went in however, Poppy quickly changed to her human size and into a nurse-like outfit. Once they have gotten inside, they began examining him.

"Thank you." Drago said.

"We're doctors; it is only natural." Poppy added. "Aren't you a doctor too? You must know how we feel?"

"I know, but I don't think it will make that much of a difference." Drago said, slowly getting up.

Ex-Aid got confused by that statement.

"Why do you say that?" He asked.

Drago chuckled.

"You're from Seito University Hospital, aren't you?" Drago asked.

"Um… yes?" Ex-Aid replied.

"Then, I guess I can tell you this." Drago said.

Drago got a bit more comfortable in his position, and Poppy helped him with it.

"I'm the patient who has pancreatic cancer." Drago explained. "So my days are already numbered."

Ex-Aid and Poppy were taken back when they heard this.

"You can cure my game disease, but it won't stop my cancer." Drago went on. "It's already in the terminal phase anyway."

"As doctors, you always have to meet death head on." He went on. "People die, sooner or later."

Ex-Aid took that information in. He had _another_ person on the face of death. He then began to walk out.

"Ex-Aid?" Poppy called.

"I just… need to clear my head." Ex-Aid replied.

He exited the room, then the mansion itself. Once he was outside, he quickly flew off into the ALO skies.

He kept on flying and eventually found himself sitting on bench by the side of lake. As he kept on thinking about it, Hiro and Drago's words kept on repeating in his head. The phrases were lika a parasite in his ears. Not being able to bear it, he just punched the bench, which made a dent on the seat.

"I know…" He whispered to himself. "But…"

He gripped his fist a lot harder. He was thinking really hard about this.

"Then just quit the doctor job." A voice told him.

Ex-Aid looked up at the hearing of the voice. He looked to his side and saw Pallad just sitting on a tree beside him.

"And you are…?" Ex-Aid asked.

But then, he remembered. Back in Chapter 14, this guy had taken Genmu's spot to fool Lazer and him.

"You… you're that fake Genmu!" Ex-Aid called.

"I have a name, man. Pallad." Pallad quirked. "I've always wanted to talk to you."

Ex-Aid wanted to draw his weapon, but this Pallad guy didn't look like he was making any sort of threats.

"Humans can only die once, and after that, done!" Pallad said. "Saving them is like playing a game on the Legendary difficulty."

Brave was now sitting in a café that he always visited in the game. While he was waiting for his order, he was looking at the Mighty Action X Gashat worriedly.

"He has to snap out of this sooner or later…" He muttered.

"It's a lot harder than you think." Reminded a voice.

Brave looked up and saw Kirito and Asuna. He put away the Gashat and gave them a seat.

"What do you two want?" He asked.

"We just want to talk." Kirito said.

Then, their orders arrived. Brave got a slice of cake, while Asuna and Kirito grabbed a simple cup of tea.

"Ex-Aid's taking Lazer's death pretty hard." Asuna mentioned.

"All the more reason he can't perform this operation." Brave retorted. "Personal feelings can't get in the way of a medical procedure."

"Hey." Kirito spoke up. "Death is touchy subject, I know. But remember Sword Art Online?"

Brave stopped moving. He then turned to Kirito.

"What are you trying to say?" He glared.

"I had friends who died right in front of my eyes!" Kirito explained. "And you see, I'm fine."

"That's because that was years ago." Brave replied sharply. "What's the intern's alibi?"

Kirito was about to speak, but then, they were interrupted by some screaming. They turned to see Alhambra silently walking towards them.

"Brave!" He called. "No, genius surgeon! I challenge you to combat!"

Brave put his fork down and put on his Gamer Driver.

"Saves me the trouble of hunting you down." He said.

He then pulled out both his Taddle Quest Gashat and the DoReMiFa Beat Gashat. He pressed them, summoning the Taddle Quest game field and the Beat Gamer Robot.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

He then inserted them both into the Driver.

 **GASHATTO!**

"Proceeding to Level 3." He said.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **DO-DO-DO-RE-MI-FA! SO-LA-SI-DO! OK!** **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

Brave's figure was now replaced by his Rider Level 2 form, and then the Beat Gamer situated its parts all over him. Summoning the Gashacon Sword, he then pressed the button on the side of the belt.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

They had now teleported to a forest, where no player would be in harms way.

"Contact your friends." Brave ordered. "Get them over here."

He then proceeded to charge in. Kirito followed, as Asuna messaged all Sinon, Silica, Leafa and Lisbeth.

Back with Ex-Aid, Pallad was still getting into his head.

"You love games, don't you?" He asked.

He then whispered into his ear.

"You should enjoy it while it lasts." He sneered.

Ex-Aid was tempted, but his better judgement was able to snap him out of it.

"Shut the hell up!" He shouted, shoving Pallad aside.

"It's because of this 'game' of yours…" He continued. "Kiriya is dead!"

"Whoa, whoa. Let's not start pointing fingers here." Pallad retorted.

"I'll make this clear." He said. "Genmu offed him. Not me."

Ex-Aid then received a pop-up message on his notifications. It was from Poppy. It says they had found the Bugster, and strangely, Alhambra is going after Brave for some reason.

Pallad looked over and saw the message, and it gave him more food.

"Looking at death in the face is part of a doctor's job…" He said, repeating the words he has heard before. "You think you can handle it?"

Ex-Aid looked at Pallad a bit longer before pulling away and looking out to the lake.

"No…" He admitted. "Death… I don't want to see anyone die… not when I can save them!"

Pallad saw him clench a fist very tightly.

"So what you're saying is that you want to save more lives with no continues, huh?" He summarized.

He then walked over to Ex-Aid and then handed him something.

Back at the Alhambra fight, Brave and Asuna were doing all the damage they could do. But Alhambra had summoned some goons, to keep the other occupied. Kirito, Silica, Leafa, and Lis all have their hands full with the goons they were facing.

Brave and Asuna slashed downward, but Alhambra blocked the strike with his staff.

"I will make you pay for destroying me so quickly!" He growled.

"Huh, so you still hold resentment for that?" Brave joked.

Alhambra then bounced off their swords, but Asuna quickly landed a kick to the abdomen, and Brave a slash to the back. Alhambra quickly got back up and began to fight again.

Just a few feet away, Genmu stood and watched the battle unfold. With the BugVisor in hand, he then attached it onto his waist.

 **GACHANN!**

"You couldn't have killed Lazer without a reason." Called a voice. "He knew something about Ex-Aid, didn't he?"

Sinon heard the voice and looked over. He saw Genmu, but surprisingly, Snipe walking over to him.

"You needed to find a way to shut him, right?" Snipe questioned.

"That is none of your business." Genmu replied emotionlessly, pulling out his Dangerous Zombie Gashat.

"Figured you'd say that." Snipe scoffed, puling out Bang Bang Shooting and Jet Combat Gashats as well.

They both pressed it at the same time.

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

 **BANGBANG SHOOTING!**

 **JET COMBAT!**

All three games spread their game field out, but Snipe inserted his Gashats into his Driver first.

 **GASHATTO!**

"Phase 3." Snipe said.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **BABANGBANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **JET! JET! IN THE SKY! JET! JET! JET COMBAT!**

Snipe then was replaced by his Rider Level 2 form, and then the Jet Combat Robot landed on his torso, giving him his Level 3 armaments.

Genmu had to respond accordingly, so he inserted his Gashat as well.

"Henshin." He said.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP!**

 **DANGER! DANGER! GENOCIDE! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

The above jingle was followed by deafening zombie roar. A character face card appeared in front of Genmu, and after showing Genmu's 8-Bit characters, one in white and another in red, the card began to crumble. And then, a white arm struke through.

Then, through the ashs of what was his former shell, was Genmu, Zombie Gamer, Level 10. He groaned and then lunged at Snipe.

Sinon saw this, and quickly rushed over to him.

Back with Ex-Aid, he was looking at what Pallad just gave him. It looked like a blank Gashat. But it was thicker than the standard one he had seen. It looked like it could take up two spaces on the Gamer Driver.

"You really want to save human lives, then use this." Pallad explained. "You could also use this to beat Genmu."

And with one final words, he began to take his leave.

"Show me how you are going to change your fate." Pallad smiled.

And with that, he pixelated into nothingness. Ex-Aid had so much questions about what just happened, but he looked at the Gashat. He could use this.

He opened up his message board and replied to the message Poppy sent.

 _Where is Brave now?_

Snipe wasn't having the swellest of time now. He kept on shooting at Genmu, but Genmu seemingly just ignored everything he was throwing at him. When Genmu got close enough, he just kicked him and then landed a palm-strike onto his chest, which sent him flying. Genmu then rolled after him, but he was cut off but a scatter-arrow from Sinon. She quickly moved in front of him.

"Who asked for your help, Shino?" Snipe groaned.

"Just shut up and fight." Sinon shot back.

Brave and Asuna were at their limits in terms of fighting. They were pushed back right behind Snipe and Sinon. And just as that happened, Kirito, Silica, Leafa, and Lis also were thrown into the pack.

"Alright, you bozos!" Lis shouted. "Round 2!"

"Stop!" Alhambra declared, tapping his staff to the ground.

A magic glyph appeared below them, and then they froze in their tracks.

"I… can't... move…!" Snipe groaned.

Alhambra then just walked over and just tapped everybody on the head, shocking them. They quickly stood back up, but that Genmu the opportunity to slash every one of them several times with the Gashacon Sparrows.

Poppy and Yui were watching this all from afar. They couldn't do anything, but they could only just watch.

"Blaze!" Alhambra announced, summoning another magic glyph in front of him.

That sent a vortex of fire right at the Riders and the SAO players. Genmu just dodged it, but the vortex landed on the players at full power. Once the vortex of fire had completely vanished, Genmu walked in and slash everyone another multiple times.

"Die!" He roared.

Everyone were sent back. The SAO players fell with their HP bars down to the yellow range, and the Riders were sent out of their transformations.

 **GASHUNN!**

As the players all groaned in pain, Poppy and Yui flew over to them to comfort them all.

Genmu attached the Sparrows together.

 **ZU-DONN!**

He aimed it at the fallen heroes viciously.

"Now…" He growled.

"Stop!" shouted a voice.

Everyone looked over and saw Ex-Aid. He had his Gamer Driver on. He raised his hand so that the Gashat could be seen by everyone.

"Ex-Aid… what's with that Gashat?" Poppy asked nervously.

Genmu noticed it too.

"Pallad…" He whispered. "You bastard…"

Speaking of Pallad, he was just on top of a tree, watching.

"Let's see how you do, M." He smiled.

Ex-Aid looked at the Gashat briefly, and then wasted no time putting it into the Driver.

 **GASHATTO!**

Once that happened, Ex-Aid felt something. And, in a split second, he collapsed to his knees with a cloud of purplish black smoke bellowing out of him. He also felt of shocks of electricity. And, with one cry of pain, the cloud of smoke exploded out of his body. Everyone was shocked by this.

"What the hell?!" Kirito shouted.

"Ex-Aid!" Lis called.

Meanwhile, Genmu seemed to be enjoying it.

"Pallad… you're just being cruel now." He chuckled.

As the smoke continued bellowing out of him, Ex-Aid experienced more pain. But, he wasn't going to let that stop him.

"No…!" He spoke. "I'm… not going to let anyone else die…!"

Then, the smoke came back in him, and then Ex-Aid grunted with one final gasp.

"Never…" He groaned.

Just then, Ex-Aid exploded with a scream of pain, as the Bugster virus within the Gashat began reacting to his body.

Jumping into IR, his body, still wearing the AmuSphere, was jerking all over the place. Within his DNA, the Bugster Virus began attaching themselves to it, and his DNA began to change. One strand began to glow orange, while the other began to glow blue.

Back into ALO, the smoke cloud soon changed color into orange and blue and began going into the Gashat.

"What's going on?" Brave asked.

"Impossible…!" Genmu started.

Once the cloud had finished going into the Gashat, it ejected automatically.

 **GASHUNN!**

The Gashat flew into the air, and Ex-Aid grabbed it. Once grabbed, the Gashat immediately began to take color. The color was orange on the front half of the Gashat, and blue on the other half. He pressed the Gashat, unleashing a new game area.

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!**

"A new game?!" Poppy shouted.

Everyone were completely perplexed by this, while Genmu looked stunned.

"I'll change the patient's fate with my own hands!" Ex-Aid declared.

He then posed, and then inserted the Gashat into his Driver.

"Henshin!" He called.

 **DOUBLE GASHATTO!**

But no body formed. It was only when Ex-Aid opened up the Driver, a new body appeared.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!**

Ex-Aid's body was replaced by a chibi figure. But it wasn't the chibi figure that was his Level 1 form. This one was different. Instead of the spiky pink anime hair, it had hair that was spikier. But even more so, there were two bangs covering each eye. Speaking of the eyes, the left eye and the left side of the hair is blue, while the right eye and the right side of the hair is orange.

"A new Ex-Aid?!" Poppy shouted.

Everyone was flabbergasted at the sight of this. Lis and Silica even had their mouths open out of shock.

"No…! Just… no!" Genmu spluttered.

"I'll clear this game… with no continues." Ex-Aid declared.

Then, Ex-Aid proceeded to attack. Genmu first shot at him with the Sparrow, but Ex-Aid dodged them all effortlessly. In fact, for someone wearing a suit of immense size, he was very zippy. He would jump around and land kicks on Genmu. Even spin-jumping to avoid an attack. And with more kicks to the back of his sides, Genmu had enough he went for a punch, but Ex-Aid blocked it. He tried to go for a punch with the other arm, but Ex-Aid blocked that too. Ex-Aid then threw his fists upward and then landed a double punch onto Genmu's open chest. That sent him flying down the forest. But Genmu jut got back up, with black ooze bellowing out of him.

"He's actually keeping up with Genmu…" Pallad observed. "So… I guess he's Level 10 too, huh?"

"I'm going to beat you!" Ex-Aid shouted.

He then closed the Gamer Driver back up.

 **GACHANN!**

A standby sound can be heard, as Ex-Aid began to wave his arms around.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaai…!" He began. "Henshin!"

He then opened his Driver back up.

 **GACHANN! DOUBLE UP!**

The chibi armor all popped up, but a flash of light covered the insides

 **ORE GA OMAE DE!**

An orange leg appeared.

Brave and Snipe's eyes widened with shock.

 **OMAE GA ORE DE!**

A blue leg appeared.

The SAO gang's mouths opened with shock.

 **WE ARE!**

An orange arm appeared.

Genmu looked stunned by what he saw.

 **MIGHTY, MIGHTY BROTHERS!**

"EHHH?" Poppy yelled.

 **HEY! DOUBLE X!**

The light subsided and revealed Ex-Aid. _Two_ Ex-Aids. One in orange, the other in blue. The chibi's face were on their shoulders, and they were posing too.

Silence ensued as everyone tried to process what just happened.

"Unbelievable…" Genmu said.

"Eh?" Alhambra muttered.

Poppy, shoving Yui aside, then quickly flew closer to get a better view.

"THERE'S TWO?!" She cried.

The two Ex-Aids then stood normally. They glimpsed at each other for a minute before actually staring at each other. They looked both surprised and confused at the same time.

"Eh?" Both of them said.


	22. Double Up! Pt 2

Chapter 22: Double Up! Pt. 2

Night had fallen. Ex-Aid entered the room Drago was in. He was just silently reading something. Ex-Aid walked up to him.

"How are you holding up, sir?" He asked.

"I'm doing just fine, kiddo." Drago replied.

Ex-Aid then bowed down to him.

"Your Bugster got away…" He admitted. "I'm sorry!"

"You did what you could. It's over now." Drago replied.

"I can't accept that!" Ex-Aid exclaimed. "I will defeat your Bugster and cure you!"

Drago looked at Ex-Aid with a disbelief. He had told him about his pancreatic cancer, but he was still going out of his way to cure him? The thought of that made him want to chuckle.

"I thought we had this talk." Drago said bluntly. "My pancreatic cancer…"

"I'm not going to give up though." Ex-Aid replied. "I'm not going to let someone's life go away!"

Ex-Aid then stood up with his back straight and a smile.

"I would like to see your smile, Drago." He said.

"That's not your burden to carry." Drago replied. "As a surgeon, I know that much."

"Is that really what you think?" Ex-Aid asked.

As Ex-Aid and Drago continued talking about the latter's Bugster, Poppy popped out Ex-Aid's pocket secretly, and then escaped out of the room. She turned into her human size, and walked down the hallway. She soon found Brave's office, which she entered. She closed the door, and found Brave. Kirito, Asuna, Leafa, Lisbeth, and Silica were also present. She waved hello, and then sat down next to Leafa. A short silence ensued before Brave spoke up.

"What happened to him?" Brave asked abrubtly.

"We're just as clueless as you are…" Asuna replied.

They then began to call back to the moment where everything happened before, trying to deduce what had happened.

 **ORE GA OMAE DE! OMAE GA ORE DE! WE ARE! MIGHTY, MIGHTY BROTHERS! HEY! DOUBLE X!**

 _(Flashback)_

The two Ex-Aids were just looking at each other. And as confused as they are, the ones who just witnessed the transformation of Mighty Brothers XX were flabbergasted.

"What… just… happened?" Liz uttered.

Silica shook her head while Leafa only nodded.

"Why are there two Ex-Aids?" Snipe asked.

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Sinon added.

The two Ex-Aids then slowly began to turn away, but the orange quickly snapped a question.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked.

"Me?" The blue one replied. "I'm Ex-Aid, Hojo Emu."

"No, no way, bro." The orange said. "I'm M!"

"I'm Emu, sir." The blue one repeated.

"No! I'm M!" The orange one said.

"No, I am." The blue one said again.

"No, me!" The orange one declared.

The two Ex-Aid then began to butt their heads together. Electricity crackled in the space between their eyes.

"It's me, smart guy." The orange one said, pointing at himself.

"No, it is me." The blue one uttered, using the orange's hand to point at himself.

The two Ex-Aids went back and forth with their argument about who's the real Emu. The others just watched on. Poppy turned to them in just utter confusion.

"They're both Emu?!" She squealed.

Then, the orange one finally got out of the blue one's face and then faced Genmu.

"Ah, who cares!" He said. "I'm gonna beat Genmu!"

A weapon wheel appeared around the two Ex-Aids, and a sword-like weapon appeared in his hand.

 **GASHACON KEYSLASHER!**

The orange Ex-Aid, raising the Keyslasher up to his face, was about to charge, but the blue Ex-Aid grabbed the weapon to stop him.

"Wait a minute, please!" He said, pointing at Alhambra. "The patient comes first!"

"Move it, chode!" The orange one gripped. "Genmu's over there!"

"Please, let go now!" The blue one said again.

"You lemme go first!" The orange one whined.

They then began swinging the weapons back and forth before they both lost grip of it. They then began to have a sissy fight. They just slapped each other for a good while, but then the orange Ex-Aid got behind the blue Ex-Aid, and he got him in an arm hold. For good measure, he also buried his elbow right into the center of his back.

"Owowowowow!" The blue one winced.

"How does it feel, noob?" The orange one laughed.

"Hey, game-show hosts!" Liz shouted.

"What?!" The two Ex-Aids both yelled.

Liz pointed at the directions where Genmu and Alhambra used to stand. Both Ex-Aids looked up to see that Alhambra and Genmu had both disappeared. They got out of their little fight, and began to recollect. The orange one began shouting for Genmu.

"Hey! The game's not over yet! Come back and fight!" He yelled.

The blue one sighed and just closed his Driver and pulled out his Gashat.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

But when that happened, the orange one's Driver closed up and the Gashat ejected automatically.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Then, both Ex-Aids slowly attracted to each other's backs. They slammed into each other. The chibi armor attached to them, then the transformation cancelled out, then Ex-Aid, one body and one Salamander body, fell on his back with a thud.

"Ow…" He groaned.

Then, he experienced a short pain in his head. But then, after experiencing the pain, he just fell over unconscientious. Everyone but Kirito and the other Riders got over to help. Poppy checked if he was okay, and Asuna and Leafa carefully lifted him up and carried him away. While that went on, Brave and Snipe's minds were bustling with questions.

Luckily, they weren't the only ones bothered by this. Taiga was sitting on his desk with a bottle of water.

"Ex-Aid…" He muttered. "Just what are you…?"

Suddenly, the lights of his office came on, startling him. He turned to see who it was. It was the girl that visited him many times before.

"So…" She sighed. "Finally feel like beating M?"

Taiga did a face-palm upon meeting her.

"You again?" He groaned.

The girl pulled a bag of nuts and began to eat them slowly. Taiga grew more and more impatient as she finished.

"You should really get this place checked out, dude." She asked, tossing the peanut bag on the ground. "It ain't passing any hygiene standards."

Taiga got up and grabbed the bag.

"Says the girl litter-" He began

"Here!" She said, pushing a trash can to him.

Taiga could do nothing but just grab the trash can and gently put it back while the girl grabbed a chair and silently sat down.

"So…" She began. "What do you want to know about M?"

"He's the guy that changes persona whenever he plays games." Taiga explained. "Do you have any idea of that?"

"Oh yeah… he just changes, doesn't he?" The girl smiled. "Weird. He wasn't the polite type before…"

That perked Taiga's interest. He turned to the girl and quickly turned her towards him.

"Just how are you connected to him?" He demanded. "Who are you?"

The girl smirked evilly.

"You _really_ want to know?" She asked, teasing Taiga just a little bit more.

Dan sat in his office, typing away on his computer. But something confused him. He put his hand on his mouth and thought very hard.

'Using that Gashat should've killed someone right then and there…' He thought.

"C'mon, man." Pallad interrupted. "You should know better than anyone."

He was sitting on a billiards board. He was holding a billiards cue.

"He's different from the others." He concluded.

Dan looked at him, but when back to typing.

"But, to be fair…" Pallad added. "Who would've thought that he'd make a new game?"

Dan just shrugged and went back to typing.

"But thanks to that, your Gashat will be ready for completion." He said.

"Guess we have M for that, right?" Pallad smiled.

He then leaned on Dan's shoulder, expecting to be patted on the head.

"Myself included, right?" He smirked.

"Please, don't make me laugh." Dan said.

As he typed on, he made something very clear.

"I'm the game master." He stated. "I will not allow anyone to make a game without my knowledge."

And with one more press of the enter key, he concluded his statement.

"I will retrieve that counterfeit game, and erase its data." He concluded.

The next day, the sun shone right back at the Earth. It was a day of promise as well. The wind was very light as well.

"Pancreatic cancer?" Hiro asked.

Emu and Hiro were both on the roof of the hospital. The helipad, to be precise. Asuna was hiding from afar. She was visiting Drago to see how he was holding up, but when she saw Emu and Hiro, she slowly followed up and eavesdropped on them.

"Yes." Emu said, handing Hiro some papers. "The patient is Kazuki Shirakawa; Room 506. So even if we cured his game disease, his life is still in danger."

"But you should be able to remove his cancer, right, Hiro?" Emu asked.

Hiro read over the papers carefully. When he was finished, he was amazed but also confused.

"You're out of line again, intern." He said, giving the papers back to him. "So you're saying we doctors should just operate on a patient without any consent from him?"

"I know he wants it!" Emu retorted.

"Who asked for your opinion?" Hiro asked bluntly.

"But it's true!" Emu added.

"It would explain why Alhambra targeted you!" He said.

Brave then remembered. Back in ALO, when they first encountered Alhambra, they were in a café. And out of every other player in that entire café, he chose a specific target.

"If you were gone, Mr. Shirakawa will be stressed…" Emu explained. "He needs you."

"Maybe if you were to operate on him, the genius surgeon Kagami Hiro…" Emu went on. "There is a slight possibility that his cancer may be cured."

"If that's true…" Hiro mentioned. "Why hasn't he said anything yet?"

"That's because just like you, he's a genius surgeon himself." Emu answered.

Emu then gave Hiro a cold stare. There was no malice, but it was enough to send a message.

"Aren't you qualified to perform any form of surgery, Hiro?" Emu asked again.

"So what?" Hiro said.

"I ask you: Can you perform the operation on Mr. Shirakawa?" Emu asked with his utmost confidence.

Hiro actually had to think about it. While it was his duty to save a patient's life, doing so without permission from the patient himself would be rather… unethical.

"I told you." He replied. "That decision is not for us to make."

Hiro then began to walk back into the hospital. When he got close to the entrance to the building, he was blocked by Asuna. She had a firm look on her face, and by the looks of her stance, she was not going anywhere. Kirito was just by her side, confused just as much as the doctors are.

"Asuna?" Emu asked. "What are you doing here?"

"You're afraid, aren't you?" Asuna stated. "Too scared to take that chance?"

Hiro looked down at Asuna with scorn. She may be child, but he had more than enough authority to talk her down.

"What did you just say?" He asked.

"Failure would be the end of your career." Asuna stated bluntly. "Am I wrong in saying that?"

Hiro then stared down hard at Asuna. There was a lot of tension going on now.

"Asuna…" Kirito started, trying to calm her down.

"Do you have any idea who you're talking to, girl?" Hiro seethed.

"If you say so…" Asuna said, ignoring the question. "Give Emu his Gashats back."

Hiro looked back at Emu was now wthin armlength of them.

"Unlike you right now, he's confident in his abilities." Asuna went on. "His ability to operate on Mr. Shirakawa's game disease!"

Hiro took a step back from Asuna, and then looked at Emu, who was now armslength away from them. He had no choice in the matter now.

A little while later, Shirakawa was sitting in his room idly, reading a book of sorts. That's when his room door opened. Hiro walked in with his papers.

"I went through your records, sir." He said.

"And you are, my young friend?" Shirakawa asked.

"Hiro Kagami." Hiro replied.

"Ah, so you're the prodigy…" Shirakawa replied. "I've heard of your achievements."

Hiro took a deep breath, and began to talk.

"I'm sure you are aware." He began. "But a complete removal of your cancer through an operation is an extremely difficult process."

"I know, son." Shirakawa replied.

"However…" Hiro added, grabbing Shirakawa's attention. "There is nothing I cannot cut."

Shirakawa looked at Hiro intently.

"You have a bright future ahead of you." He said. "I can't let you take this chance. Your reputation-"

"If you wish to be operated on, it is your call to make, not mine." Hiro interrupted.

Shirakawa looked at Hiro intently again. He could see that Hiro was very serious about the current situation. He was ready to take on any challenge, even if it meant getting kicked in the shaft.

"Y'know, you remind me a lot myself years ago." He sighed. "I wish for the operation."

Hiro nodded, and as he began to move his patient out, he took a AmuSphere with him.

"While this is proceeding." He asked. "My intern will be taking care of your game disease. So while we do the operation, please keep this on so your Bugster can be taken care of."

Shirakawa grabbed hold of the AmuSphere, and then gently put it on as he was rolled into the operating room.

ALO is such a nice place. Well, if you take into account that Alhambra is causing a ruckus in one of the game's many villages, it isn't. So far, he had shocked several players, and was now scaring everybody away.

"Show yourself, genius surgeon!" He announced.

Ex-Aid, Kirito, Asuna, Poppy and Yui wasted no time getting over.

"Well, he's committed, I'll give him that." Kirito commented.

"Asuna! Kirito! Yui!" Ex-Aid called. "Help Poppy get everyone to safety, once that's done, you can help me out!"

"Right!" Asuna replied.

And as Asuna and the others, guided the other players, Ex-Aid darted forward and approached Alhambra.

"Ex-Aid!" He said. "I have no business with you! Summon Brave this instant!"

Ex-Aid scoffed and just put on his Gamer Driver.

"Sorry, but he'll be coming late." He smirked, pulling out his Gashat.

As said encounter was going on, Hiro had just finished putting on his gloves and slowly entered the operation room. There, on the table, was Mr. Kazuki Shirakawa, wearing an AmuSphere.

"A surgery?!" Alhambra spluttered.

"And I'm about to the same thing here!" Emu chuckled, pressing his Gashat.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

The pink game area spread throughout the area, and after a quick pose, Ex-Aid inserted the Gashat.

"Henshin!" He called.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Ex-Aid's figure was replaced by the chibi Level 1 form. But Ex-Aid had to get moving, so he opened up the Driver quickly.

"Dai Henshin!" Ex-Aid called.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Back to the operating room, all the preparations have been set. Hiro raised his hands up, and spoke silently.

"Beginning the pylorus-preserving Whipple and portal vein bypass operation." He announced.

"Scalpel." He said.

"Here." Replied one of his nurses.

Holding the scalpel expertly, Hiro began his operation.

"Performing Benz incision." He said again.

Back to ALO, Ex-Aid was exchanging blows with Alhambra. They would lock weapons, and then they would bounce off. Asuna and Kirito joined in a bit later, but they were having no luck either. While 3-on-1 was a decent advantage, there was another advantage Alhambra had, and that was his magic. He would often use it to trip up his enemies.

During this fight, he used a spell to trap Kirito's foot in a temporary sinkhole, and he would aim for a strike. However, Asuna was able to block it just in time and Ex-Aid got him out of the sinkhole.

"Shock!" Alhambra chanted.

That summoned thunderclouds above their heads and it struck down on the players. They were able to dodge it swiftly, but one shock was able to hit Ex-Aid. It resulted in him tumbling.

"Ex-Aid!" Kirito called.

Ex-Aid got up and saw a Gashat on the ground in front of him. He went to reach for it, but someone else picked it up.

"Eh…?" He uttered.

He looked up to see Klein, strangely without his energetic smile. He looked at Alhambra with menacing eyes.

"Hey, Klein…" Kirito spoke up.

Klein walked up past Kirito and Asuna to get closer to Alhambra.

"Bow down before my magic prowess!" He called.

Klein looked at the Gashat. He breathed in, and then his signature smile returned.

"Bow down before this, pal!" He shouted, pressing the Gashat.

 **BAKUSOU BIKE!**

"Burn!" Alhambra shouted.

Flames engulfed Klein's body, but out the ashes, accelerated Klein, on the Lazer's Level 2 bike form. He rammed into Alhambra, but continued down the road as Alhambra hung onto the bike.

"Wow." Asuna said. "Never seen that before."

"Let's just follow." Ex-Aid sighed.

Asuna and Kirito sprouted their wings and flew after Klein, while Ex-Aid grabbed a little something from one of his blocks to help him out.

 **SPEED UP!**

IR, the operation was still going underway. Heartbeats were steady, and the nurses and doctors were doing whatever they can to help Hiro.

"Forceps." He said.

"Here." Said one of the nurses.

After doing something, Hiro raised the forceps and said one more thing.

"Cutting open stomach from pylorus-preserving line." He said.

Going back to the fighting, Klein was still tearing down the street on Lazer's bike form, with Alhambra still hanging on for dear life.

"Stop this at once!" He ordered.

"Okay." Klein replied.

He slammed on the brakes, and launched Alhambra into a patch of rocks. He got off and bragged briefly.

"How's that?!" He said.

Just then, Kirito and Asuna came down. Ex-Aid followed up behind shortly after.

"Hey, Klein." Kirito greeted.

"What's up, Kirito?" Klein smiled.

"Well… nothing much." Kirito shrugged.

He looked over at Ex-Aid, and gave him the Bakusou Bike Gashat back.

"Thanks for lending me this." He said.

"Uh, no prob, dude." Ex-Aid replied.

"You haven't been online for two months." Asuna asked worriedly. "Were you okay?"

"Well… not exactly." Klein replied, rubbing the back of his shoulder.

He breathed in and began to speak.

"Look, Kiriya's passing was hard on all of us." He said. "I hadn't felt like playing in such a long time. But, just last week, it hit me. He knew something that we didn't. And that Genmu bastard killed him for it. I realized that revenge wouldn't bring any results. You just have to keep fighting. And if we do find out about what he found, it'll be worth the fight."

Kirito, Asuna, and Ex-Aid looked at Klein with keen interest.

"Y'know." Kirito commented. "That's the most genuine thing I heard from you this whole time I've known you."

"I-, is it?" Klein chuckled nervously.

"That was lovely, Klein." Asuna added.

"You're right." Ex-Aid chimed in. "Let's continue fighting; for Kiriya's sake."

Then, all four of them raised their fists in the air.

"Yeah!" They all shouted.

Then, they heard steps. They turned to see Genmu walking up towards them. He had the BugVisor in one hand, and the Dangerous Zombie Gashat in the other. He smiled at them with fake warmth.

"That was truly magnificient." He said.

"Genmu…" Kirito growled, raising his swords.

"For Kujo Kiriya's sake…" Genmu pondered. "That is quite a noble set of words coming from you, Klein."

"We don't have time to waste on you!" Ex-Aid shouted.

Genmu ignored him, and just put on the BugVisor.

 **GACHANN!**

He then pressed the Gashat as well.

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

He then inserted the Gashat into the BugVisor.

"Henshin." He said coldly.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP!**

 **DANGER! DANGER! GENOCIDE! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

After the deafening zombie roar, a character face card appeared in front of Genmu, and after showing Genmu's 8-Bit characters, one in white and another in red, the card began to crumble. And then, a white arm struke through.

Genmu's Undine figure was replaced by his Zombie Gamer figure.

"Let's do it!" Ex-Aid said, grabbing his hammer.

 **GASHACON BREAKER!**

Then, Klein, Ex-Aid, Kirito, and Asuna all charged at Genmu and the now-recovered Alhambra.

"Let this memo of him bring you suffering." Genmu said bleakly.

 **GASHACON SPARROW!**

With that said, he began firing several arrows at them. Everyone did their best deflecting. Soon, they were within close combat range. Kirito was the first one. He currently has his sword locked with the Sparrow. Genmu scoffed and just pressed the A button.

 **ZU-PANN!**

The Sparrows separated into two, and Genmu quickly grabbed the other one and slashed upward. Kirito was thrown back, but he quickly recovered.

"Switch!" He called.

Just then, Klein and Asuna darted forward and landed a strike onto Genmu's abdomen. Genmu's back fell backward, only for it to get right back up with bone cracking sounds. He would then slash the backs of the two players. Ex-Aid jumped in. He blocked the first strike, but then Genmu would slice with the free Sparrow he had on the other hand.

From the air, Snipe was watching. Next to him, was a young Sylph girl. She was pumping her fists in excitement of the fight down below.

"There he is!" She cried. "C'mon! Now's your chance! Pummel him!"

"Will you just shut up for two minutes?" Snipe scoffed.

The fight continued on as Snipe just observed.

Back to the operating room, Hiro was still doing the operation. He was under a lot of pressure.

"Sweat." He said.

"Got it." Said one of his nurses.

She quickly damped down his sweat as the operation went on.

"Moving to the removal of pancreas and duodenum." Hiro said.

Reverting back to the fight, the fight was still going strong. At this point, they had splitten up. Kirito, Asuna, and Klein fought Alhambra, while Ex-Aid continued on fighting Genmu.

Kirito and Klein did all of the strikes and slashes, while Asuna supported them from the back. Kirito then jumped over Alhambra and Klein went for the legs. Alhambra had other plans.

"Stop!" He chanted.

That halted everyone in their tracks.

"This… again…?!" Kirito groaned.

"Shock!" Alhambra shouted.

Thunder shot down from the sky and landed on Kirito and Klein. That sent them right at Asuna's feet.

"Guys!" She called worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Burn!" Alhambra shouted again.

A vortex of flames shot forward and engulfed the SAO players. That launched them towards the direction of Ex-Aid and Genmu.

Genmu and Ex-Aid currently had their blades locked. Genmu looked to his side and saw the SAO players hurdling towards them. He bounced Ex-Aid off of him and stepped backward. Ex-Aid could only look confused as he was tackled by the ball of fire and SAO players. Genmu saw a chance. As the flames dissipated, he slashed their bodies repeatedly in tandem. And with one final slash at Ex-Aid's body, he attached the two Sparrows together.

 **ZU-DONN!**

He then pulled the trigger repeatedly at a fast rate. Seven arrows were shot with seemingly only one pull. Each arrow landed on the bodies of all the targets, and then they all fell to the ground in pain, while Ex-Aid was thrown out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

Ex-Aid could only feel the pain riling up inside him. Asuna and Klein looked up while Kirito struggled to get back up.

"You little-!" He started.

Genmu only replied with a slap to the face and then stepping on his stomach. Completely ignoring Kirito under him, he looked down hard at Ex-Aid.

"Ex-Aid." He called. "You created an illegal game without my acknowledgement, the game master."

"I will erase its data." He finished.

A small silence insued. Just then, Ex-Aid began to chuckle. He continued to chuckle as he got back up.

"Game?" He asked sarcastically. "What game?"

And with one stretch of his hand, he quickly reached in his pocket and pulled out the Mighty Brothers XX Gashat.

"What I'm doing right now…" He declared, pressing the Gashat. "Is operating!"

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!**

A game area spread all over the area. Blue and orange were the colors. Ex-Aid then placed the Gashat next to his face.

"I'm going to change the patient's fate with my own hands!" He declared.

And after a brief pose, he inserted the Gashat into the Driver.

"Henshin!" He called,

 **DOUBLE GASHATTO!**

Ex-Aid then opened the Driver up immediately.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!**

Ex-Aid's figure was replaced by the chibi figure of the orange and blue Ex-Aid. He stood there for a bit before closing the Driver back up.

 **GACHANN!**

Ex-Aid then waved his hands around.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai…" He began. "Henshin!"

With that, he opened the Driver back up.

 **GACHANN! DOUBLE UP!**

 **ORE GA OMAE DE! OMAE GA ORE DE! WE ARE! MIGHTY, MIGHTY BROTHERS! HEY! DOUBLE X!**

The chibi armor popped off to leave only the face. Then, the face split in half. The orange side of the face sprouted arms and legs, and then a body. It was the orange Ex-Aid, with hints of blue. This was Kamen Rider Ex-Aid XXR.

The other half of the face, the blue side, also sporuted arms and legs, and then a body. It was the blue Ex-Aid, with hints of orange. This was Kamen Rider Ex-Aid XXL.

Once the sequence was done, they posed with the chibi face right in the middle.

Klein and the girl got really confused.

"What the-? Two?!" Klein spluttered.

"What's up with that?" The girl asked.

Snipe then knew what his next move should be. He wasted no time logging out and leaving ALO. The girl beside him also logged out, albeit confused as to why he did so.

The two Ex-Aids then stood normally, and a massive weapon wheel formed around them. XXR grabbed the weapon as it appeared in his hands.

 **GASHACON KEYSLASHER!**

Then, the two Ex-Aids looked at each other.

"I'm you." XXR said.

"And you are me." XXL replied.

"We'll clear this game… with super co-op!" Both of them said together.

Then, the two charged at Genmu and Alhambra respectively. XXR pressed the blue button on the Keyslasher, activating its sword mode.

 **JA-JA-JA-KINN!**

XXR slashed Genmu a couple of times. First, he slashed his back, and then jumped over him to get his head.

"Comin' your way, bro!" He called, throwing the Keyslasher to him.

"Thank you!" XXL replied, catching it.

XXl then spun around and struck Alhambra on his open chest. He slashed downward a few more times before throwing it back to XXR, the latter who just stretched his arm out to catch it.

"Nice pass!" He called.

After kicking Genmu back, XXR turned around and ran towards Alhambra, slashing his leg. He then past the baton, throwing the Keyslasher to XXL. XXL responded with another slash at Alhambra.

Genmu quickly got back up, and quickly grabbed the Sparrows more firmly. He then began to run towards them, but was cut off by Klein. He struck upward, and then Kirito and Asuna darted behind them and slashed his back.

"Don't go forgetting about us!" Klein smirked.

"We have a few co-op tricks of our own!" Kirito smiled.

Asuna nodded and continued attacking Genmu.

Back to the operating room, Hiro was still going on.

"Peeling off the SMA." He said.

Once he had finished, he moved on to the next step. This was the most difficult part.

"Beginning the pancreatic excision." He said.

Going back to ALO, there were now two separate fights. The two Ex-Aids were fighting Alhambra, while the SAO players were battling Genmu. In the midst of fighting, XXL has his hands on the Keyslasher, and XXR was just fighting with his fisticuffs. XXL looked over to the SAO players and saw Genmu overpowering them.

"This should help them…" He said, pressing the yellow button on the Keyslasher.

 **ZU-KYU-KYU-KYUNN!**

"Heads up!" He called, throwing the Keyslasher to XXR.

"Gotcha!" XXR replied, catching the Keyslasher.

He then flipped and fired the energy bullet. But, instead of Alhambra, the bullet landed on Genmu. Genmu stumbled backward, but he wiggled back from the damage.

"Thanks!" Asuna shouted.

"Don't mention it, Asuna!" XXL called out.

Genmu groaned as he took the damage.

"Alright!" Klein cheered. "Let's do this, you two!"

"Right!" Kirito and Asuna replied.

And all together, with one downward slash of their swords and kicks from each, they threw Genmu out of their line of vision.

"Alright, that's one down." XXL sighed.

Just then, XXR landed right next to him. They quckly bumped their wrists together and ran towards Alhambra. Alhambra looked desparate, but he had to do something.

"Shock!" He chanted.

However, the thunder meant nothing as both Ex-Aids just ran right through them. Both of them took turns with the Keyslasher slashing and striking Alhambra.

"Burn!" He chanted one more time.

Both Ex-Aid's shielded themselves from the fire, and once the flames dissipated, XXR just fired another energy bullet, launching Alhambra back.

"Time for a change of pace!" He smiled.

He then pressed the orange button on the Keyslasher, followed by the three dials of the same color. Then he pressed the orange button again.

 **ZU-PA-PA-PANN!**

A huge orange energy axe blade appeared on the blades of the Keyslasher. XXR then slammed the blade down on Alhambra, who blocked with his staff. But XXR just grabbed him and threw him up into the air.

Suddenly, Alhambra landed on his back. In mid-air. When XXR jumped to him, a line of brown Mighty Action X blocks came into existence. Alhambra and XXR are on top of it. Alhambra stood up and began to fight XXR on the blocks. XXR was dodging them all.

XXL knew what he could do to assist. He went underneath the block Alhambra stood on. He jumped and punched the block. That stunned Alhambra, and then XXR kicked him off the block.

The operation in IR was almost nearing its end. There was no so much to do, but even so, it is too late to get lazy.

"Vascular tape." Hiro said.

"Here." Said one of his nurses again.

Hiro stretched the tape over. Once he had set it down, he used another clamp to get a grip of another end of the tape.

"Portal vein clamp." He said.

"Here." Said one of his nurses again.

Then he reached over to the other side of the patient. Once he was finished, he went back to his side.

"Beginning portal vein excision." He said.

Backto ALO, Alhambra stumbled down the ground and then growled at the Ex-Aids as he stood up.

"How dare you…!" He said.

XXR walked over next to XXL.

"Time to finish it, right?" XXR asked.

"Yes, it is!" XXL replied.

Then, the two closed their Drivers.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

"Very well…" Alhambra growled. "Then… I shall show you my most powerful spell!"

XXR and XXL just ignored that statement, and opened their Drivers back up.

 **GACHANN!**

 **MIGHTY DOUBLE CRITICAL STRIKE!**

Then, both Ex-Aids jumped into the air. They landed a kick on Alhambra's head. But that wasn't it. They then did a spin kick on both sides of him. And with another flip kick, they launched a flurry of kicks again at his sides. Then, the two reunited into the chibi form, and landed an uppercut. Alhambra was launched into the air, and the chibi body rolled past him. Then, as the chibi stretched his legs out for a kick, the armor split off to reveal XXR and XXL, shoulder to shoulder, coming down with a kick. They tore right through Alhambra, and landed back on the ground. Alhambra screamed as he exploded in a giant ball of fire.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

XXL and XXR both looked at each other and they highfived each other. Kirito, Asuna and Klein quickly walked over to them.

"That was overkill, you two." Kirito commented.

Asuna quickly jabbed him in the stomach for that.

"I guess it was…" XXL chuckled.

"Hey, but it's part of our charm!" XXR said, grabbing XXL in a shoulder hug.

They laughed a bit more, but then Klein saw something.

"Hey, look!" He said, pointing at something behind them.

Everyone turned and saw Genmu. He had the BugVisor out, and the weapon seemed to be absorbing the residue Bugster data left of Alhambra. Once he was done, Alhambra appeared on the screen.

"Huh? Where am I?" He asked.

Genmu ignored him and just put the BugVisor back on.

"What was that just now?" Kirito asked.

Genmu chuckled.

"No matter how many times you change a patient's fate, Ex-Aid…" He said. "You cannot change the grand destiny that awaits them."

With that, he fazed away. The players just looked on. The Ex-Aids both closed their Drivers and pulled out their Gashats.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Then, the two Ex-Aids turned into bubbles of data and merged together. The bubbles then formed into Ex-Aid's ALO avatar. Just then, Ex-Aid felt the sharp pain in his head. He then passed out, and fell on the ground.

"He-, hey!" Klein called. "You okay?"

"Ex-Aid!" Kirito shouted.

"Kirito!" Asuna said. "Go! I'll stay and leave with him."

Kirito knew what she meant. He stood up and began to log out.

"Hey! What's she talking about?" Klein asked.

"I'll text you about it right now." Kirito replied. "You just log out and get to Seito University Hospital!"

Klein looked puzzled, but he still went along. And as Kirito and Klein left ALO, Asuna stayed by Ex-Aid's passed out state.

A little while later, Ex-Aid slowly opened his eyes. He groaned his got up. Asuna quickly helped with that.

"Ow…" He groaned. "I have a migraine the size of a truck…"

"Are you okay?" Asuna asked.

"Yeah, I'll live." Ex-Aid replied.

Then, something snapped inside his head.

"What about the operation?" He asked.

"I was waiting for you to say that." Asuna responded. "Kirito and Klein already left. I was going to leave as soon as you were okay."

Ex-Aid and then jumped up.

"We have to hurry!" He shouted.

Asuna nodded, and without realizing, they pressed the logout button at the same time.

The AmuSphere clicked, and Emu quickly took it off. Placing the AmuSphere nearby, he then darted out of the office and ran down the hall. He was so busy trying to get to the operating room, he didn't notice Taiga just quietly leaning on the side of a door. He had cloth in his hand, and a blood mark was smudged on it. Taiga got it by quickly giving him a poke with a needle. It bled as much as it need to for him to collect a sample. He looked at it carefully, and then left.

Emu was the first one to arrive at the entrance of the operating room. He sat down on the bench, and then played the waiting game.

Ryotaro, Kazuto, and Asuna quickly joined him a bit later.

"Emu!" Ryotaro called.

"Guys!" Emu called back.

"Is the operation over?" Asuna asked.

"Not yet…" Emu shrugged.

Just then, the operating room doors slowly slid open and out walked a sweat-drenched Hiro. He threw his mask off and wiped some of his sweat off himself. He looked at the entourage before him. Emu stood firm, while Asuna, Kazuto, and Ryotaro tensed up.

"Hiro…" Emu whispered. "How did it go?"

There was a small silence. Hiro then raised his hands up like he was about to operate.

"There is nothing I cannot cut." He stated.

He then turned around and began to walk away. Asuna sighed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness…" She sighed.

Kirito and Klein looked at each other and wrist-bumped. Emu then looked at Hiro.

"Uh…!" He started.

Hiro stopped and listened.

"Thank you for this!" He said, bowing down.

Hiro first looked puzzled, but then, he smiled. He waved backwards, and continued on his way.

Later that night, Asuna, Kirito, and Emu visited Mr. Shirakawa. He was now connected to some life support systems and a breathing mask. He looked up at his visitors and gave them a thumbs-up. Kirito smiled and also gave him a thumbs-up.

Mr. Shirakawa then began to cry. He was crying tears of joy and happiness though. Emu held his hands tightly as Asuna began to arrange some flowers that she had brought for him.

Meanwhile, Taiga was doing a little research. He had just finished typing in something in his computer. On his side, he had the blood-smeared cloth he got from Emu. On top of it was an analyzer. It was connected to a computer. This is what Taiga had typed. The analysis went on for a few seconds longer before showing the results. It showed a DNA strand and then some cells reacting to something. Taiga took a swig of his water bottle and sighed.

"Well…" He said. "That would explain the separation."

A small window on the side showed another thing.

 **Patient: Hojo Emu**

 **Reaction: +**

Taiga sighed and then leaned back on his chair.

"Ex-Aid… Hojo Emu…" He announced. "You're infected."


	23. Here Comes A New Challenger!

Chapter 23: Here Comes A New Challenger!

 _ **Ex-Aid Online**_

Taiga walked into his office with a cup of coffee in hand. He sat down and looked at the screen. IT still showed the results of the test he did on Emu's blood.

 **Reaction: +**

'He must've transformed too many times…' He thought. 'The side effects must be getting to him…"

Then, there was a knock on his door. He looked out and saw the girl. She had a small traveling bag by her side.

"Hey~!" She smiled.

Taiga clambered out of his office just to see the girl skip to another room.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked.

"Well, I'm staying here!" The girl replied, setting her stuff down.

Taiga observed what she was doing carefully. She had set down her clothes and all of her other essentials on the table next to her.

"Don't sweat it though." She assured. "I'll leave once you beat M."

Taiga sneered angrily as he walked up to her.

"And since when did we agree on that?" He asked.

The girl looked and then got ticked off herself.

"Hey now…" She began. "I told you who I actually was, and you're not going to help?!"

She then shoved Taiga. Taiga took a couple steps back, but he didn't react much.

"Leave." He said. "I'll tell you this once. Otherwise, I'm getting the cops to escort you out."

He then turned around and stormed off. The girl went after him, but Taiga was gone by the time she reached the hallway. She pouted and angrily kicked a janitor's cart. She then noticed something. Taiga's AmuSphere was sitting by his computer, in plain sight. A plan quickly formed in her head. She then sat in front of one of the free computers and plugged in the AmuSphere. She then began typing furiously on the keyboard.

Emu stumbled out of the operating room. He collapsed onto the wall, and the other nurses came out behind him.

"Are you okay?" One of them asked.

"Yes…" Emu said. "I'm fine."

Hiro walked out soon after, with a rather disappointed look on his face.

"I can't believe you had an anemic attack during surgery." He stated.

"Sorry about that…" Emu replied weakly. "I'll be more careful in the future."

As the two nurses began to walk away, Hiro then turned as well.

"You should quit while you have the chance." He suggested. "Surgeries aren't your style."

Emu watched as Hiro began to walk away. But then, Hiro stopped and spoke.

"Game diseases are more of your element." He added.

"Really?" Poppy squealed. "Brave gave you a compliment?"

In ALO, Ex-Aid was sitting inside the dining hall of Brave's mansion, and was helping himself to a slice of cake as well. Poppy was floating by Ex-Aid's face.

"Well…" He began. "I guess it was a compliment… but then again… it might not be…"

"It's okay!" Poppy assured. "Deep down, Brave is a good person!"

"I guess so." Ex-Aid replied.

Poppy was about to reach over a chunk of cake, but then a message popped up on Ex-Aid's board.

"Bugster!" He called.

He then stormed out of the dining hall with Poppy in hot pursuit behind him.

"Contact everyone else!" He told her.

"Already on it!" Poppy replied.

Taiga came back to his office in a hurry. He was holding his phone as he had received a text from Poppy.

"Gotta hurry." He told himself.

When he walked into his office, he found his AmuSphere. He reached out to it, but then he noticed something. A plug was inside one of the ports of the AmuSphere and the wire that the plug was associated with was plugged into one of the free computers. The screen also had a webste open. It was an ALO website.

He looked to the other room and found the girl, lying down, with her AmuSphere on.

Taiga sighed angrily and just put on his AmuSphere.

Ex-Aid and Poppy flew for a few minutes before ending up in some kind of pathway in a forest. They landed gently and began to look around. Just then, Kirito, Sinon, Silica, Leafa, Lisbeth, and Klein landed behind them. Ex-Aid and Poppy greeted them quickly.

"Is this where the message said it was?" Kirito asked.

"Well, yeah…" Ex-Aid replied.

Yui then pointed in a direction. There was a small Sylph girl leaning on a tree, sharpening her dagger. She was dressed in a short skirt, and a green jacket with a white shirt. She also had strapped high heels.

"Are you the one that called?" Silica asked.

"Man…" The girl groaned. "You sure took your sweet time coming here, didn't ya?"

The party was confused by this statement, but Poppy quickly examined her anyway. Once she was done, she shook her head at Ex-Aid.

"Um… excuse me?" He spoke up. "You have no symptoms… why did you call us?"

Just then, without looking, she slashed right across Ex-Aid's stomach, sending him back.

"Hey!" Klein shouted. "What was that for?!"

He approached her slowly, but the girl just kicked him. Liz and Silica also walked up, but she blocked them with a spell. Kirito, Leafa and Sinon didn't make a move.

"I'm gonna beat you!" She shouted.

Then, she pulled out a Gamer Driver. She put it on her waist, and then pulled out a Gashat. The Bang Bang Shooting Gashat at that.

"Wait…" Sinon started. "Where did you get that?"

"God damn it…" growled a voice.

Everyone turned and saw Snipe land right beside him.

"Snipe." Sinon asked. "What's going on?"

Snipe just ignored her and just walked up to the girl.

"You better hand me that back now." He ordered.

"Stay back!" The girl shouted. She looked at Ex-Aid.

"M!" She called. "I challenge you to battle!"

Ex-Aid struggled back up, more confused.

"Uh… how do you know my name?" He asked.

The girl winced, but she had to ignore it. She raised the Gashat in the air.

"Henshin!" She called.

She pressed the Gashat, but nothing happened. A silence enduced.

"H-hey!" The girl said, hitting the Gashat. "Why isn't this thing working?"

Just then, the girl collapsed onto the ground. She was holding herself as if she was cold and shivering. Snipe quickly rushed over to her and began to prop her up.

"Let me go!" She whined.

"Just shut up!" Snipe shouted back.

Then, Poppy just shouted.

"Bugster found!" She said.

Everyone looked at Poppy, and then back at the Sylph girl.

"She's right." Snipe scowled. "She's infected."

"But… Poppy didn't find anything before." Silica mentioned.

Brave and Asuna flew in from above just then. The walked over and looked at the girl.

"The virus must've been dormant inside her." Brave explained. "And it was active when she tried to use that Gashat."

"Wait, how is that possible?" Liz asked.

"The surgery that we all went through makes us immune to them." Asuna explained. "The Gashat contains a small amount of the virus so we could build up antibodies."

Snipe removed the Gamer Driver and his Gashat from the girl's grasp. He was furious.

"Okay!" He shouted. "This is crossing the line, kid! Why didn't you listen?!"

The girl then began to slap Snipe weakly.

"It's your fault!" She whined. "I waited all this time, and you never pummeled him!"

The girl then yelled very painfully. She then fell over, unconscientious. Orange blobs began to flow out of her system and took form next to a nearby tree. The Bugster who had appeared had a gatling gun for an arm, and was covered in metal plating.

"Revol…" Snipe muttered, putting on his Gamer Driver.

"Silica, Liz." Ex-Aid asked, putting on his Gamer Driver as well. "Take her to safety."

Brave said nothing, but he also put on his Gamer Driver.

And as they pulled out their respective Gashats, Revol began his offensive.

"Beginning Mission." He said robotically.

Bugster mooks then appeared behind him. They were all dressed in military camouflage and were holding guns.

The Riders pressed all of their Gashats.

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!**

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

Each game's respective game areas spread through the area. Each Rider then posed and inserted their Gashats into the Gamer Driver. Ex-Aid had one more step, as he opened the Driver.

"Henshin!" They all said.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

 **DOUBLE GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!**

All of the Riders turned into their Level 1 chibi forms, while Ex-Aid went into his Level 10 chibi form. The latter moved in to engage first. But when he threw a punch, it would just slide off of the Bugsters with a giant "MISS!" appearing above him. He continued on with this, but he kept on missing. The Bugster then approached Brave and Snipe.

"Proceeing to Level 2." Brave said.

"Phase 2." Snipe said.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **BABABANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

Brave and Snipe turned into their Level 2 bodies and began to attack. Sinon, Asuna, Kirito, Leafa, and Klein also began attacking.

The Bugsters mooks were using the quantity over quality strategy on them. But, there was only a finite amount of them. Brave and Asuna were back to back, slashing and stabbing their way through the mooks. On the other hand, Snipe and Sinon were exchanging firing. Snipe would shoot down several books, and then Sinon would fire a scatter arrow.

Ex-Aid was still trying to punch Revol, but something was wrong. Revol didn't move. In fact, every time Ex-Aid landed a punch on any part of him, there were giant words that said "MISS!".

"Opposition: Ineffective." Revol stated.

With one final punch, Ex-Aid then gave up.

"What's going on here?" He asked.

"Ex-Aid!" called a voice.

Ex-Aid turned around and saw Genmu standing a few feet away from him. He had the BugVisor on and was holding the Dangerous Zombie Gashat.

"I will delete that bootleg game of yours." He declared.

He raised his arm and pressed the Gashat.

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

"Henshin…" He growled.

He then inserted the Gashat into the BugVisor and pressed the button.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP!**

 **DANGER! DANGER! GENOCIDE! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

Genmu's figure was then replaced by his Zombie Gamer form. Soon after that, the Sparrow appeared in his hand.

 **GASHACON SPARROW!**

"Well, if that's how we're playing it…" Ex-Aid smiled, closing his Driver back up.

He then jumped down to even ground to face Genmu. He then twirled his arms around before opening the Driver back up.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai…" He began. "Henshin!"

 **ORE GA OMAE DE! OMAE GA ORE DE! WE ARE! MIGHTY, MIGHTY BROTHERS! HEY! DOUBLE X!**

The chibi Level 10 Ex-Aid split off into the two Ex-Aids of XXL and XXR. After their brief pose, their weapon appeared in their hands.

 **GASHACON KEYSLASHER!**

"We'll beat you with super co-op!" Both Ex-Aids said.

Then, with XXR holing the Keyslasher, they attacked Genmu.

"I'll get him from the right!" XXR called.

"Then I'll go for the left!" XXL shouted.

Revol just watched on as the Ex-Aids attacked Genmu. He then turned to his mooks fighting everyone else.

"Battlefield status: Chaos." He said. "Unable to calculate counter."

Soon, it was a free-for-all fight. The Ex-Aids were fighting Genmu only a few feet away from where everyone else was fighting the Bugster mooks.

Brave slashed some more mooks before noticing Asuna and Leafa getting a bit overwhelmed. Asuna was still holding her ground, but he noticed that Leafa still had some bullet wounds on her sides. He jumped over and quickly sliced a mook that was about to shoot her in the back. He then pulled out his DoReMiFa Beat Gashat.

"You should look take better care of yourselves." He told them as he inserted the Gashat into his Sword.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Sinon were still shooting her arrows from afar. Klein and Kirito were slashing and slicing their way through to her. But by the time they did, the Bugster mooks had already thrown her off from her position. She was on the ground but Kirito and Klein got to her just in time before any Bugster mooks overwhelmed her.

"There's too many of them!" Klein shouted.

But then, every mook in front of them all fell down with bullet marks on their bodies. Snipe jumped down and landed in front of them.

"You can't go a full second without someone saving your hide, huh, Sinon?" He asked condescendingly.

Sinon took the insult, but didn't say anything. Snipe scoffed and just inserted the Jet Combat Gashat into his Magnum.

"Time we end this." He said.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Then, both Riders got into their stances and then did their finishing attacks.

 **DOREMIFA JET CRITICAL FINISH!**

Brave twirled his sword around, and slashed from left to right. The blade summonded the image of a treble clef, and then several music notes landed on the mooks, blowing them up. In contrast to Snipe, he just fired his Magnum upward. The bullet then turned into several missile rockets and then flew straight down onto the heads of the Bugster mooks.

Liz and Silica were still looking after the Sylph girl, who was still unconscientious.

Genmu was getting handed over to the Ex-Aids. The Ex-Aids were superbly exchanging and switching between each blow they delivered. For example, XXR would slash with the Keyslasher, and then he would twirl around and gave XXL an opening to land a kick.

Revol then jumped down and watched the battle. He was unable to deduce what to do, so he just decided to leave.

"Initiating temporary retreat." He said. "All forces: Pull back."

At the moment, XXR slashed down Genmu. Genmu's black aura oozed out of him again, eliminating the damage he had taken.

"You're a tough nut to crack…" He scowled. "No need. I got what I came for."

And with several arrows from the Sparrow, he used the smoke to disappear. Once he had gone, the Riders cancelled out of their transformations.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

While Brave and Snipe returned to their ALO Avatars, the Ex-Aids pixelated back into one Ex-Aid, the ALO Avatar Ex-Aid. But, Ex-Aid winced and held his head tightly. Snipe noticed this, and quickly walked away. Leafa quickly rushed over to help.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Ex-Aid replied.

Brave crossed his arms, and then saw Snipe going away in one direction. He walked in that same way. Leafa and Ex-Aid, followed by Klein, Asuna and Sinon, they found Liz and Silica holding the Sylph girl.

"Let's take her back." Klein suggested.

"Yeah." Liz replied.

Liz and Leafa carefully lifted the girl up, and began to fly away. As they were departing, Asuna noticed something.

"Hey, where's Kirito?" She asked.

Klein and Sinon looked around. The black Spriggan was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh." Klein replied. "He was just here a minute ago."

"Where did you go?" Sinon sighed, doing a face palm.

But they had to go, so they flew away.

From afar, Genmu cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

Reverting back to his ALO Undine Avatar, he then walked off deeper into the forest. He walked on for several minutes before coming across the exit out of that forest. He walked out but was stopped by a voice.

"You killed Lazer in order to keep him shut about Ex-Aid's game disease, didn't you?" asked a voice.

Genmu turned around and saw Snipe leaning on a tree, arms crossed. He was looking at him coldly. Genmu chuckled at the sight.

"Looks like your skills from your radiologist days are just as sharp as ever." He chuckled.

Snipe stood up and slowly approached him.

"When did you find out?" He asked.

Genmu sighed and sat down on a tree stump.

"Hojo Emu was the first human to contract the game disease." He explained. "Patient zero, to be exact."

"The first?!" Snipe spluttered. Then, he also realized something.

"Is this before Zero Day five years ago?" He asked again.

"I'm sure Brave had already told the kids about Zero Day." Genmu continued. "But there was another leg of the story that I left out."

Snipe crossed his arms again, and Genmu began his talk.

"Six years ago, a particular doctor used his for an experiment." He explained. "His name was Zaizen Michihiko. He tried to birth the Bugsters by injecting the first sample of it into Hojo Emu."

"But, the experiment had failed." Genmu continued. "The virus infected everyone within range, and the people disappeared. Hojo Emu was later rescued and returned to his normal life."

"Thankfully, he has no memory of it." Genmu finished.

Snipe took the whole story in. But, he found something rather amusing.

"Y'know, for someone who tried to shut someone else up, you sure run your mouth a lot." He remarked.

Genmu then scowled and began to walk away.

"He tried to eradicate the virus, so he had to go." He said. "Anyone who tries to pull a stunt like that, no matter who, will be eliminated."

And with that, Genmu walked away and disappeared. Snipe scoffed and began to trek out as well. But, he was stopped by Brave.

"What was all that about?" He asked.

Snipe laughed.

"If you're here…" He said. "I'm sure one of those kids are here too."

Coincidentally, Kirito also dropped down from a tree. He had a very serious look on his face.

"Yeah, you're right." He replied. "I'd like to know what that was about too."

The Sylph girl woke up slowly. She looked around her surroundings. She was on a large bed, and was also wrapped up in warm blankets. To her side, was a dresser with some of her stuff on it, and the other side showed Ex-Aid and Poppy, in her human size, sitting. Leafa and Liz too, but they were standing.

"Where am I…?" She asked.

"You're in our care now." Ex-Aid said.

The girl looked at Ex-Aid scornfully, and then began to stand up.

"I'm leaving." She said.

"Wait, please don't!" Ex-Aid told her.

"Stay away!" The girl shouted. "I don't want you treating me!"

But then she fell off the bed and landed on the floor with a thud. When Ex-Aid came to pick her up, she kicked him off of her. The girl had a very angry look on her face. They were all stunned by what just went down.

"Well?" Liz spoke up. "Say something!"

Ex-Aid spoke slowly.

"Uh…" He began. "I believe this is our first meeting, but… did I do something to you?"

"Great…" The girl sighed. "This dick doesn't even remember me…"

Leafa and Liz then tugged Ex-Aid. They slowly went outside, and Poppy helped her back on the bed. Once that was done, Poppy also left the room.

"You sure you don't remember her?" Leafa asked.

"I think I do… but at the same time I don't…" Ex-Aid groaned.

"You have to remember!" Liz chimed in. "You couldn't attack Revol, so the stress has to be related somehow."

"I guess…" Ex-Aid shrugged.

They made their way over to the living room, where Klein was sharpening his sword. Sinon and Asuna had cups of tea in their hands. Silica was playing with Pina on the floor.

"How is she doing?" Sinon asked.

"Honestly…" Ex-Aid replied. "Better."

Yui popped out of Asuna's pocket, and then leapt. She turned into her normal size and walked over to Ex-Aid.

"All I found was her name." She replied. "Nico."

"Yeah, cause that's going to help a lot." Klein remarked.

That received a glare from Sinon, and Klein quickly returned to sharpening his sword. Just then, Kirito and Brave walked.

"Brave! Kirito!" Asuna called, walking over to Kirito.

Brave sat down on one of the chairs, and looked at Ex-Aid.

"Kid." He called. "I want to ask you something."

"Um, sure." Ex-Aid replied.

"Why did you decide to become a doctor?" He asked.

The question silenced everyone in the room. They all looked at him carefully.

"Why are you asking that?" Silica asked. "The Secretary Hinata saved him 16 years ago. Isn't that why he wanted to be a doctor?"

"With that said, you still played video games." Brave went on. "You even got a job as a writer and editor of a video game magazine. Why choose this line of work?"

"Well…" Ex-Aid replied. "I was unsure that I had what it takes to be a doctor. So I ended up spending time with getting better at games I liked."

"I only started to become serious about this six years ago." He went on.

Brave then looked at him curiously.

"Six years ago?" He repeated.

"Well, yes." Ex-Aid replied. "There was a global tournament for Overwatch back then. The team I was contracted with really wanted to get first place, so I trained with them for several nights in a row."

"Oh yeah…" Sinon spoke up. "Weren't you with Japan's team?

"Yeah." Ex-Aid replied. "But after we won, the fatigue got the best of me and I fainted."

"And that's when I had a dream." Ex-Aid went on. "I don't really remember what it exactly was, but I think it was the surgery I had 16 years ago."

"Surgery?" Brave repeated quietly.

"I think there was meaning in that dream though." Ex-Aid continued. "I might fail my exam if I kept this up… so I quit the team and focused entirely on my entrance exam."

"And to be fair, I did have my writing job." Ex-Aid finished. "But it was only a few months ago I lost the will to keep writing."

"Hey, at least you made it." Klein chuckled, patting Ex-Aid's shoulder.

"Was it actually a dream?" Kirito spoke up.

Everyone turned their attention to Kirito. He had been quiet the whole time, and him speaking startled everyone. But before Ex-Aid can reply, a message appeared on his board.

"A message?" Sinon asked.

"It's from Snipe." Poppy said. "It says: 'Nico left some of her stuff with me. They're just taking up space in my items list, so you better pick them up. Come to this location.' And there's also a picture."

The picture looked to be an abandoned village.

"Let's go." Ex-Aid said.

He then stood up and walked away. Sinon also came along, since Snipe is a very cunning man, so if this is a trap, she'd be there to pull him right out.

Snipe was actually doing some browsing in a nearby shop. While he was buying for his own needs, he had something on his mind.

'I'll have to deal with Ex-Aid myself…' He thought.

Dan was looking at his screen carefully. It showed the Mighty Brothers XX Gashat, and the Ex-Aid that came with it.

"Just as I thought." He said, looking at the screen. "The two Ex-Aids individually are Level 10."

"You don't say?" Pallad smiled, messing with a Guitar Hero guitar. "So they're Level 20 together!"

Dan began to type something more as Pallad moved on to a keyboard.

"Trying to retreive that Gashat would be a waste of our time." He admitted.

He pressed the "Enter" key and looked at Pallad with a smile.

"You're up." He said.

Pallad then quickly slid over to Dan, eyeing the screen like Golem with the ring.

"You sure about this?" He asked.

"With my game still in development…" Dan replied. "This is necessary."

"Besides." He added. "You could use the beta-testing."

Pallad smiled gleefully. The screen showed a Gashat. But a different kind. It was thick like the Mighty Brothers XX, but the slot was black, while the bottom was blue. And there was a strange yellow knob on the bottom.

Ex-Aid, Poppy, and Sinon landed on the ground gently. They were in the abandoned village that Snipe had sent the picture of.

"This feels… ominous…" Poppy said in a scared voice.

"All the more reason it could be a trap." Sinon replied, drawing her bow.

"C'mon, think positively, guys." Ex-Aid retorted.

They walked a bit longer and eventually wounded up in the village's central plaza. There, they found Snipe sitting by the defunct water fountain.

"Took you long enough." He said. "Here."

He opened up his menu and unloaded all of Nico's items on the ground.

"Thanks." Ex-Aid replied, walking over to the items. "We'll take care of her."

He quickly took them all into his items list. But just as he was done, Snipe stood up and kicked him right in his chest and off his feet.

"I told you…" Sinon groaned, walking over to him.

"You can take her stuff, but I'll take the Gashats." Snipe said, putting his Driver on.

He then pulled out his Gashat and pressed it.

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

As the game area spread, Sinon and Poppy quickly tried to get away, but it was no dice as Snipe inserted the Gashat into his Driver.

"Henshin." He said.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Snipe was replaced by his chibi figure and then his Magnum appeared in his hands. But Snipe wasn't going to hold back. He leveled up immediately.

"Mission start." He said, opening his Driver.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **BABABANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

He then began to fire. Sinon got hit on the leg while Poppy quickly turned into her pixie form and hid with Sinon. After giving them cover, Ex-Aid faced Snipe and put on his Gamer Driver. He then pulled out his Gashat and pressed it.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

"Henshin!" He called as he inserted the Gashat into the Driver.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

After turning into his Level 1 chibi form, he then began to dodge all of Snipe's attacks. Snipe triedto hit him, but the chibi form was just too agile for him to keep up. But, when Ex-Aid got close, he grabbed his arm. Snipe just kicked him off and shot him a couple times.

"I told him, but did anyone listen?" Sinon remarked.

Then, Brave, Asuna, Leafa, and Kirito walked up behind them. Brave had his Gamer Driver on and his Gashat on hand. He pressed it.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

"Henshin." He said, inserting the Gashat into his Driver.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Brave was replaced by his chibi body, but he quickly opened up his Driver.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

Turning to Level 2, he grabbed his Sword and then slowly walked forward.

"Sinon!" Leafa cried, running over to her.

She helped her up and sat her down on a nearby bench.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine." Sinon replied. "But why are you here?"

"Brave told us to come with him." Asuna said. "Don't worry. He'll be able to bring an end to this."

Asuna spoke too soon. Once Brave got close, he slashed. He slashed Ex-Aid. Ex-Aid arched back in pain, but that gave him opening to land three strikes on Ex-Aid's torso.

"Eh?" Leafa muttered.

To confuse them even more, when Ex-Aid began to take a few steps back, Kirito jumped in and grabbed Ex-Aid. He turned him around and slashed down his body.

"Kirito?!" Asuna cried.

Ex-Aid tumbled down, but quickly got back up.

"Hey!" He called. "What's going on!"

Brave then raised his sword.

"Don't take it personally." Kirito assured, getting into his stance.

"Stay out of this! He's mine!" Snipe told them.

"Said the licenseless doctor. I'll handle this." Brave retorted.

Ex-Aid grunted in frustration, and he decided just to level up. He opened up his Driver.

"Dai Henshin!" He called.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Meanwhile, Revol saw the battle taking place. He was slowly moving towards them.

"Moving to intercept." He said. "Priority: Protect Ex-Aid."

"Hold it." Called a voice.

Revol looked up and saw Pallad. Pallad smiled and quickly wrapped him around with chains. Then he used the other end of the chain to tied him up to a tree.

"You just sit here and watch, okay?" He asked.

And then he walked away with Revol repeating the words "Recalculating."

Ex-Aid was now running all over the area. Snipe, Brave, and Kirito were in hot pursuit. Ex-Aid would often use the instability of the nearby structures to his advantage, such as using the wood and metal pillars to swerve around, but Kirito was able to grab hold of him. And with that, Brave landed a strike on to his chest. Kirito then threw Ex-Aid off of him. He jumped for another strike, but he collided into something. Kirito stumbled on the ground and saw Asuna. She had her rapier in her hand.

"Asuna!" He shouted. "What are you doing!"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Asuna shouted back.

Kirito slowly stood up and raised his swords.

"You're not involved in this. Move." He said.

"Make me." Asuna replied coldly, going into her stance.

Kirito realized that Asuna wasn't going to move any time soon, so he had no choice. He darted forward and began clashing blades with Asuna.

Ex-Aid saw this, and tried to get over to them to help, but Brave got a hold of him, pinning him into a wall.

"Why are you attacking me?" He demanded.

"Shut up." Brave replied.

Snipe than looked at Ex-Aid's Gashat holder. He fired a shot and bounced a Gashat off. Landing on the ground, it was the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat. Snipe walked over and picked it up.

"Thank you for the Gashat." He said.

Ex-Aid saw that Snipe had the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat.

"Give it back!" He called.

But Brave picked him up and slashed Ex-Aid right across his chest.

"How about the competition?" Snipe asked, pressing the Gashat. "Let's see who can hunt him faster."

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER Z!**

"Very well." Brave replied.

Another Gashat appeared in his hand. Then, both Riders pressed their respective Gashats.

 **BLADE!**

 **GUN!**

Then, both Riders inserted their Gashats into the Driver after closing the Drivers back up.

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

Then they quickly opened them back up.

"Proceeding to Level 5." Brave said.

"Phase 5." Snipe said.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **BABABANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER!**

 **BRAVE!**

 **SNIPE!**

Now, Brave has a dragon sword on his right arm, while Snipe has a dragon cannon on his left arm. They charged. Ex-Aid doged Brave's slash, but took Snipe's blast right into his chest. That gave Brave an opening to land a strike right on his back. Ex-Ad stepped back, but Snipe shot him again, and Brave slashed once more. That sent Ex-Aid stumbling onto the ground. Just then, Asuna was thrown in. Kirito walked over and was panting heavily.

"Looks like you took care of her." Snipe commented.

"Did I have a choice?" Kirito shot back.

Leafa, who was still watching the whole battle, had taken enough. She stood up and walked right in front of them.

"Please! Stop this!" She pleaded. "Why are you doing this?! Aren't we all friends?!"

"Leafa…" Kirito whispered.

"Move it, top-heavy!" Snipe shouted. "You're in the way!"

"No, I won't!" Leafa retorted.

"Wow. That was boring." Commented a voice.

Everyone, even Sinon, who had just limped over with Poppy, turned to the source of the voice. Pallad stepped forward with a very dissatisfying look on his face.

"You…" Ex-Aid panted. "He's a Bugster."

Leafa raised her sword in self-defense. Pallad sighed heavily.

"He clearly doesn't want to fight, so you just decide to gang up on him?" He asked. "Shameful, man. Just shameful."

He looked at Kirito, Brave, and Snipe, the first two raising their swords.

"If you wanna play that badly, I'll play with ya." He smirked, raising a Gashat to his face.

It was the Gashat that he was shown earlier. A blue Gashat, with a black slot and a strange yellow knob.

"What is that Gashat?" Snipe asked.

Pallad smirked and turned the knob. It showed the game that the Gashat had selected.

 **PERFECT PUZZLE!**

 **WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?**

Just then, as the game's game area spread, a myriad of Energy item coins scattered across the area.

 **WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?**

Pallad then pressed the Gashat.

"Henshin." He said.

 **DUAL UP!**

 **GET THE GLORY IN THE CHAIN! PERFECT PUZZLE!**

Pallad's figure was replaced by another figure. He had golden armor and belt, and his arms and shoulder pads were blue. He also had a golden collar that covered his mouth and blue hair. Yellow eyes were along for the ride. On his breastplate, was a puzzle-like pattern. He inserted the Gashat on a slot holder on his side.

The figure looked at himself for a brief second, and then he announced himself.

"Kamen Rider Para-DX…" He said. "Level 50…"

Everyone was struck with shock when they heard it.

"Kamen Rider…?!" Snipe uttered.

Poppy was also shocked, but then she realized something.

"Fifteen?" She asked. "Did she say fifteen?"

"No, fifty." Sinon replied.

Para-DX twirled around. He was very happy.

"Let me tell you about my games!" He said with a smile in his voice.

He then looked over to Snipe, Kirito, and Brave.

"They should do for beta-testers." He added.

He then ran towards them. He got hold of them all, and then he threw them some distance away. Kirito tried to slash, but he missed and received a knee to his abdomen. Brave was thrown into Snipe, causing the both to fall over.

"Perfect Puzzle is a puzzle game where you control all objects within the game area as you desire." Para-DX explained. "For example, I could merge all of the different items you all kindly spawned for me."

He twirled around, and every item appeared. The 2 by 2 by 2 brown blocks from Mighty Action X, the treasure chests from Taddle Quest, and the oil barrels from Bang Bang Shooting all turned into Energy Item coins.

"Wait, they're all Energy Items now?" Ex-Aid asked.

"I can even combine these Energy Items." Para-DX said.

He then raised both of his hands, and 16 Energy Item coins arranged themselves above him 4 by 4. Para-DX waved his hands around and the coins slid horizontally and vertically like a line puzzle. Once he had found what he was looking for, he selected two coins. Those two coins then landed on Para-DX.

 **RUBBERIZE! JUMP POWER-UP!**

Para-DX then used the abilities and jumped really high into the air. He then pulled out his Gashat. He twisted knob upward, and then back downward.

 **KIMEWAZA!**

He inserted the Gashat back into the slot holder.

 **DUAL GASHAT!**

Once he was above Snipe, Brave, and Kirito, Para-DX unleashed his full attack.

 **PERFECT CRITICAL COMBO!**

He then went Mr. Fantastic here. With the rubberized power, he stretched his legs straight out, landing a kick. He used his right leg on Brave, his left leg on Snipe, and then he used both legs on Kirito. They were launched backward, just missing Ex-Aid and everyone else.

 **ALL CLEAR!**

Brave was knocked into the side of a cottage, Snipe was knocked into the water fountain, and Kirito was knocked into a tree. The Riders were sent out of their transformations.

 **GASHUNN!**

"Kirito!" Asuna shouted, quickly running over to him.

Para-DX landed onto the ground and laughed as he slowly walked towards them. Ex-Aid stepped up to confront him.

"Stop!" He ordered.

Para-DX stopped, but confused.

"Why though?" He asked. "They were just kicking your ass a few minutes ago."

Ex-Aid looked back, but then he turned back to Para-DX.

"So what?" He said. "If you're going to give them a game over, I have something to say about it!"

He then pulled out the Shakariki Sports Gashat and pressed it.

 **SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

The bike appeared and it spun around him. Ex-Aid closed his Driver back up and inserted the Gashat.

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

"Dai Dai Dai Henshin!" He called, opening the Driver.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION!** **X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **SHAKARIKI, SHAKARIKI, BAD!** **BAD! SHAKATTO, RIKITTO, SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

The bike then jumped and attached itself onto Ex-Aid's torso. He braced himself for an attack.

"Ex-Aid…" Para-DX growled. "Don't work me up now, man…"

He pulled out his Gashat, and turned the dial upward. Then, he twisted dial upward again, revealing another game.

 **KNOCK OUT FIGHTER!**

 **THE STRONGEST FIST! ROUND 1! ROCK AND FIRE!**

"Two games in one Gashat?" Asuna asked.

"Dai Henshin." Para-DX said, pressing the Gashat and inserting back into the slot holder.

 **DUAL UP!**

 **EXPLOSION HIT! KNOCK OUT FIGHTER!**

The blue shoulder pads became red fist gauntlets, as they detached from the shoulders and attached onto his hands. Also, the face turned into a red fighter with a white headband. Then, the gold breastplate turned the puzzle-like pattern into a flaming fire pattern.

"C'mon, let's play!" Para-DX called.

Ex-Aid braced for himself, but a punch from Para-DX sent him back. Ex-Aid tried to punch, and while landing some good hits, Para-DX didn't even flinch. He just punched him again in the stomach. He then punched upward from his waist, sending a fire blast towards Ex-Aid. Luckily, Ex-Aid rolled out of the way.

"Knock Out Fighter is a fighting game where you beat your opponent until you knock them out." Para-DX explained.

Ex-Aid popped the wheel off his bike, and then launched it towards Para-DX. Para-DX just tossed it off. He then pulled his Gashat back out. He twisted the knob upward, and then downward again.

 **KIMEWAZA!**

He then began running towards Ex-Aid as he inserted the Gashat back in.

 **DUAL GASHAT!**

He dodged a punch from Ex-Aid and placed his fist on his chest, facing upward.

 **KNOCK OUT CRITICAL SMASH!**

The uppercut launched Ex-Aid into the air, and then Ex-Aid fell back down. Para-DX got ready for another punch, and landed that said punch on Ex-Aid's chest. That sent him flying, destroying a cottage in the process.

 **K.O.!**

Ex-Aid stumbled out and was cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

"Ex-Aid!" Poppy cried as she flew over to him.

Ex-Aid, panting in pain, looked up as Para-DX cancelled out of his transformation.

"I'll take you on anytime, anywhere." Pallad said. "Let's have more fun next time, M."

 _(Cue Excite! In the background)_

Pallad then dissipated away. Poppy slowly helped Ex-Aid back up, but Ex-Aid grabbed his head and groaned in pain.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Poppy asked.

"My head…" Ex-Aid groaned.

Snipe and Brave stumbled over to them. Kirito was brought with Asuna slugging him over her body. The three of them looked at each other.

 _(Flashback)_

"Yeah, you're right." He replied. "I'd like to know what that was about too."

Snipe, Brave, and Kirito were now by a lake.

"So Ex-Aid has game disease?" Kirito asked.

"Yeah." Snipe replied. "That could be why he can transform into Ex-Aid."

"It could also explain his personality change whenever he plays games…" Brave added.

Then, Brave and Kirito began to walk away.

"You're not thinking of telling him, are you?" Snipe asked. "Imagine the stress he'll get if he finds out."

Brave and Kirito then walked away, and Snipe did the same in another direction.

Ex-Aid then stopped feeling the headache. But he was still too weak to move.

"Here, let me help." Leafa said, pulling his arm over her.

She and Poppy then lifted Ex-Aid and the two began to walk back to Brave's mansion. Asuna did the same with Kirito. Brave and Snipe could only look on, wondering what to do next.


	24. Para-DX's M

Chapter 24: Para-DX's M

 _ **Ex-Aid Online**_

"PIPUPEPO PANIC!" Poppy screamed at the top of her lungs.

She was in her human size, yelling in an open space in the living room. Flailing her arms all over the place, she was panicking. Ex-Aid was getting healed by Leafa on a couch, Asuna and Sinon were sitting nearby.

"Prave and Pnipe attacked Pex-Aid, and now we've got a new Pamen Piper popping into the fight!" She whined.

"Yeah, we noticed." Sinon grunted.

"Pex-Aid! What should we do?" Poppy asked, flying over to Ex-Aid.

"I don't know…" Ex-Aid sighed.

Ex-Aid thought long and hard. Everything is just a giant mess now. Brave and Snipe just assaulting him out of nowhere, the introduction of Para-DX, and on top of all that, he has no idea of why the patient is hating on him.

But his train of thought stopped when two people walked in. Liz and Silica came into the living room with messy hair and tired expressions. They then just collapsed onto the floor.

"Silica! Liz!" Leafa called, getting up to help.

She lifted them up to a chair.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Nico…" Liz sighed.

"She's…" Silica groaned.

Asuna and Ex-Aid both got up.

"We'll see what's up." Asua told them.

Asuna and Ex-Aid then ran down the mansion and into the room where Nico was staying in. When they walked in, all of the words they were about to say evaporated.

Nico must've had a lot of time on her hands. The walls were now decorated with all sorts of feminine items. Such things included streamers of pink, some plushies were bundled in a corner, and some balloons hung on the corners of the bed. There was even a clothes rack next to the bed.

"EHHHHHH?!" Both Ex-Ad and Asuna yelled.

Then they followed up with their own reactions.

"So cute!" Asuna squealed.

"Wait, what?!" Ex-Aid spluttered. "What is all this?!"

Nico smirked and sat down on a free chair.

"Well, seeing as you people locked me in here." She ecplained, crossing her legs. "I thought I could make this place more… liveable?"

Ex-Aid looked around again. He had no idea how to respond to this.

"Look, let's just get you back in bed, okay?" He asked, reaching out to her.

Nico pulled out her sword in defiance. She pointed it viciously at Ex-Aid.

"You better stay away from me!" She yelled.

But, she winced, and collapsed back onto the ground. Ex-Aid began to approach her to help, but Asuna stopped him, telling him that he'll make his situation worse.

"Why do I have to be at the mercy of this douche…?" Nico scowled quietly to herself.

Ex-Aid had had enough of this ambiguity.

"Alright, so what did I exactly do for you to hate me so much?" He asked.

"Ex-Aid, back away!" Asuna ordered.

After yanking him out of range, she turned to him.

"Can't you see it?" Asuna asked. "You're the source of her stress!"

"Oh." Ex-Aid replied. "That actually explains a lot."

"So what, you here to finish me off or something?" Nico asked.

"No, no, no! That's not it!" Ex-Aid reminded. "I'm here to cure you!"

Asuna then began to shove Ex-Aid out of the room, but Ex-Aid resisted her move.

"I want to make you smile again…!" Ex-Aid shouted.

"Okay, out you go!" Asuna interrupted, pushing Ex-Aid out of the room.

Closing the room door, she then began to make an idea.

"I'll ask what's stressing her out." She said. "You'll only get in the way."

"No… I think I have an idea." Ex-Aid replied, getting back up.

The two began to walk back to the living room. Once they were gone, a Spriggan appeared on the wall. He approached the door and opened it.

Pallad was lounging around in a hammock in a dark forest. He was smiling away. He was very happy. However brief, he was able to finally fight the Riders. He looked at his Gashat Gear Duel like a puppy overjoyed with seeing its food. But then, someone swiped the Gashat away from him.

"Why did you not take Gashat?" Genmu asked.

"Hey now…" Pallad chuckled. "You do know why I'm helping you to begin with, right?"

Pallad jumped out of his hammock and landed in front of Genmu. He looked at him with determined eyes.

"I just want to play the ultimate game." He stated. "And I want to have the most exciting game ever."

He then swiped his Gashat Gear Duel back from Genmu.

"Isn't that the reason why you made these?" He asked.

He then walked away, gesturing with his hands.

"And to play that most exciting game." He added. "I would need the best opponent I can get, right?"

"And you're saying that Ex-Aid… no, Hojo Emu fits your criteria?" Genmu asked.

"I'm going to defeat him." Pallad declared. "And me alone."

"Very well." Genmu said, beginning to head out.

"Just make sure that your wish is not too premature." He added, slicing a tree for no good reason.

A monster roared as it shattered into nothing. The player that stood before the defeated monster, was Brave. He had a just cleared a dungeon boss all by himself. He withdrew his sword. While he did beat the monster in order to advance the game, he was thinking about the whole Bugster within Ex-Aid thing.

'It may explain how he can transform…' He thought. 'I have to find out how to separate him from the Bugster…"

Then, a ding went off. He noticed that he had a message. He opened it up and saw that it was from Ex-Aid.

 _It's Ex-Aid._

 _I have something to ask you._

 _Do you have time?_

Brave replied to the message.

 _Come to the flats._

 _I'll meet you there._

He then sprouted his wings and flew away.

Brave reached the location soon. He landed softly. It was the same place where the Sylphs and Cait Shelter attempted to make a peace treaty with the Salamanders interrupting them some time ago. He found Ex-Aid leaning on a rock. He walked over to him.

"What is it?" He asked.

Ex-Aid stood up and faced Brave.

"I want to know why you and Snipe attacked me." He said.

Brave looked away, as if to avoid the question.

"Does it have anything to do with Nico?" Ex-Aid asked again.

"Huh?" Brave muttered.

"I don't know why, but I'm the one that's stressing her out." Ex-Aid explained. "Do you think it might have something to do with her?"

"Since when did I ever cared for the patient?" Brave asked in an angry voice. "I did it because-"

He stopped mid-sentence. Snipe's words then echoed through his mind.

" _Imagine the stress he'll get if he finds out…"_

Brave turned around to stop that thought and think of another excuse.

"I did it because you involving yourself with patients is revolting." Brave bluffed.

Ex-Aid was really confused. He wanted to ask more, but he stopped when Brave turned back around and put on his Gamer Driver. He also pulled out his Gashat.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

The game area spread all over the area. Bravve then inserted the Gashat in.

"Henshin." He said.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Brave was replaced by his chibi form. He grabbed the Gashacon Sword and then carefully approached Ex-Aid.

"Show yourself, Bugster!" He shouted.

As Brave slowly walked forward, Ex-Aid began to step back.

"Wait! There aren't any Bugsters here…!" He pleaded.

But, he fell back onto his back. Brave flipped his sword and then raised it to the air. Just then, Asuna popped out of nowhere and struck the sword. She flipped around and landed in front of Ex-Aid.

"Asuna…" Ex-Aid muttered.

Asuna pointed her rapier her viciously. In response to this, Kirito also appeared out of thin air. But he was next to Brave. Kirito didn't say a word. He only unsheathed his swords and got ready for an attack. Asuna just got more confused.

"Kirito!" She called. "Why are you and Brave doing this?"

"It has nothing to do with you!" Kirito shouted back. "I don't want to hurt you, Asuna! Move!"

"I don't want to hurt you either!" Asuna shouted. "Just tell me what is going on!"

Before anyone could say anything more, Brave, Asuna, and Kirito were all sent backward by some bullets. They all looked up and saw Revol, along with some Bugster mooks.

"Operation: Defend target." Revol said robotically.

"There it is!" Ex-Aid called, pulling out his Gashat.

But something strange happened. The Bugster mooks got into a defensive position in front of Ex-Aid. Revol stood next to him.

"Fire." Revol ordered.

The Bugster mooks fired at the others. Luckily, Asuna was able to place a temporary shield to block the bullets.

"Advance." Revol ordered again.

The Bugsters then began to walk forward slowly towards the others. Ex-Aid realized something right then. But he had to test out his theory, so he just put on his Gamer Driver and then pressed his Gashat.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

"Henshin!" He called as he inserted the Gashat.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Ex-Aid's figure was also replaced by his chibi figure. Now, both Riders leveled up.

"Proceeding to Level 2." Brave said.

"Dai Henshin!" Ex-Aid called.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION!** **X!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

Both were replaced by their slimmer Level 2 forms. Brave then pressed the button on the side of the belt.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

The plains have changed into a lovely park with a fountain statue. Brave slashed a mook by its legs and tripped it up. Using that as a distraction for the others, he slashed everyone upwards on their torso. Kirito and Asuna were back to back. Awkwardly though, they weren't speaking to each other. They only had scornful looks as they attacked the Bugsters. Ex-Aid jumped in to help, but every strike he landed was a dud on every Bugster. He then turned to Revol and attacked him. But even he was free.

"So I can't attack them after all…" Ex-Aid confirmed.

Revol turned to him.

"Friendly fire: disabled." He told him.

"Friendly? Me?" Ex-Aid said confused.

Revol turned back to the battle.

"Primary objective: Assist Ex-Aid in assuring victory and achieve perfect form." Revol stated. "Secondary objective: Destroy the Riders."

Revol then turned his attention back to the fight. Ex-Aid now had the information necessary.

'Is the stress me winning games…?' He thought.

Then, a lightbulb went off in his head. He turned to the people fighting.

"Brave! Kirito! Asuna!" He called. "I'll leave this to you guys!"

He began to run from the battle, but a particular Zombie Gamer blocked his way.

"Genmu…" Ex-Aid said.

"I shall be taking back your Gashats." Genmu replied.

Ex-Aid grabbed the Gashacon Breaker in his hands. He then swung at Genmu. He let the strike slide off of his body, and then he flipped around. He grabbed Ex-Aid's arm, and then spin-kicked him in the back. Revol noticed this and ran towards him.

"Mission Change: Protect Ex-Aid." He said.

Revol swung a fist at Genmu. He dodged it and he just kicked him out of the way.

At this moment, Brave slashed the mooks a couple of more times, and then, stabbing the ground, he froze them all. Asuna and Kirito took this chance to shatter them all. Once that was done, they all ran towards Ex-Aid to provide support.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Brave asked.

As Asuna helped him back up, Kirito charged at Genmu. He slammed his blade down, but Genmu just caught it and then kicked Kirito straight into Asuna.

"Kirito! Asuna!" Ex-Aid called.

Brave and Ex-Aid turned to Genmu. They pulled out their much higher Level Gashats.

 **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!**

"I don't think so…" Genmu growled.

He pressed the buttons on the BugVisor and then pressed the B button.

 **CRITICAL DEAD!**

A dark black and purple shadow was cast right below them. Then, silouhettes of zombies began to grab hold of both of the Riders. Then they began to blink red. And in a flash, the Riders were consumed by a large explosion. The Riders were thrown out of their transformations.

 **GASHUNN!**

Ex-Aid tumbled back. Brave was also sent back, but he had his Gashats fall on the ground in front of him. Genmu then slowly approached.

Meanwhile, Revol took this chance to escape.

"Temporary setback. Aborting mission." He said, walking away.

Genmu crouched down and picked up the Taddle Quest and DoReMiFa Beat Gashats.

"That's one problem solved…" He said.

Brave struggled up and tried to reach for the Gashats.

"Give them back!" He demanded.

Genmu scoffed and just kicked him off of his leg. He then turned to Ex-Aid.

"I shall be retrieving your Gashats as well." He declared.

Ex-Aid tucked in the Mighty Brothers XX Gashat in his coat, but Genmu just grabbed him by his throat and picked him up. Ex-Aid struggled to get out of the grip. Genmu responded by slowly tighting his grip, closing up Ex-Aid's air passageway.

Just then, on the brink of death, Ex-Aid's eyes turned red, and he grabbed Genmu's arm. He then emitted a pulse that sent Genmu off of him. Brave, Kirito and Asuna saw it happened. They were stunned by it. Ex-Aid's eyes reverted back to its original colors, and then a small chuckle can be heard. Everyone turned to see Pallad, sitting on the statue platform of the fountain.

 _(Cue Excite! In the background)_

"Genmu." Pallad called. "This wasn't our agreement, remember?"

Genmu scowled and looked away.

"I just ain't letting anyone getting in the way of fun, even if it's you." Pallad added.

Then, smiling, he turned to Ex-Aid.

"M, we'll play together next time, eh?" He smiled.

Then, both Genmu and Pallad disappeared. The area then reverted back to the plains. Ex-Aid walked over to Brave, who Asuna and Kirito were helping back up.

"Brave! Are you okay?" He asked.

"Your pity's a no thank you." Brave replied coldly.

"We'll do something about your Gashats." Asuna said.

"And thanks to you, I have an idea about the patient." Ex-Aid thanked. "Thank you."

Asuna and Ex-Aid then both took off to the sky. Brave looked up to see them go. Kirito turned to him.

"Well?" He asked.

"There's no mistaking it. He has game disease." Brave confirmed.

"So, there's a Bugster inside him?" Kirito said.

"Yes." Brave replied. "But without a Gashat…"

Kirito only looked on. He only hoped that Asuna would be okay.

Ex-Aid and Asuna arrived back in a rush. They found Sinon, Leafa and Poppy just standing by the room where Nico stayed. Once Ex-Aid and Asuna got inside, Poppy and Sinon followed in. Ex-Aid and Asuna found that Nico was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Nico?" Ex-Aid asked.

"Snipe took her away." Sinon replied.

"And you just let her go?" Asuna asked.

"Well, the patient agreed, so we had to let her." Poppy replied innocently.

"Is there any way we could track them?" Ex-Aid asked.

Just then, Pina flew in and began to sniff the room's air.

"You can leave the tracking to me!" Silica replied.

Once Pina was done sniffing, she flew off down the hallway and outside.

"Pina!" Silica called. "Let's follow her!"

Sprouting wings, Silica, Sinon, Ex-Aid, Poppy, Leafa and Asuna all flew off after her. When they had disappeared, Lisbeth walked out, yawning. She looked around and saw that everyone was gone.

"Did I… miss something?" She asked.

There was a small abandoned cabin out in the forest. It may look old, but the facilities within it were in tiptop shape. On the couch, Nico was lying down, groaning quietly. Snipe then entered, wearing his Gamer Driver and his Gashat in hand.

"You know, if you really care for me, you could just say so." Nico joked.

"Don't take this the wrong way." Snipe replied. "You're only here as bait for Ex-Aid."

Nico got up. She was furious.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"Once that's done, you'd better be out of my hair." Snipe told her.

Then, Nico got up on her feet and summonded her sword. She swung the tip straight at Snipe, who dodged it effortlessly.

"Just what are you after?" She asked. "When I asked you to, you didn't beat M… Well, now you're all over him!"

Snipe scowled and walked away.

"It's none of your concern." Snipe answered.

"Quit dodging the question!" Nico shouted.

The duo ran outside and found Ex-Aid, Asuna, Silica, and Sinon outside. Pina was on Silica's shoulder.

"Well… that was quick." Snipe complimented.

"Don't try anything funny." Sinon shot quickly.

Ex-Aid ignored Snipe and looked on at Nico.

"Nico. I finally remember you." He said.

Nico looked surprised and quickly dived onto the couch inside.

"I'm sorry I didn't remember you earlier!" He called.

Then, in a soothing voice, he said this.

"You've grown a lot, Genius Gamer N." He smiled.

The girls looked confused when they heard this.

"Gamer…?" They all spluttered.

Nico winced as she called back a hurtful memory.

 _(Flashback)_

" _We are here, everyone! In the 1v1 Overwatch grand tournament, we have entered the final round! 4-4! Against our undefeated champion, M, is a young challenger, N! Is her name an homage to his own, who nows?!"_

 _The final round was fairly simple. Reaper (M) VS Soldier: 76 (N). They were furiously wiggling their controllers around. Then suddenly, N saw that she had lost. All she heard before was Reaper's "Target practice." Line._

" _And it's over! M defends his title and wins the tournament once again!"_

 _The crowd cheered loudly. M walked over to N, who was sulking._

" _That was a quite a ride. Let's play again sometime, kiddo." He smiled._

 _(Flashback end)_

"You played seriously against a small girl?" Asuna asked.

"Well, I thought it would've been rude otherwise…" Ex-Aid admitted.

"I looked up her status." Snipe chimed in. "Her yearly income is 100 million yen from winning tournaments."

"100 million?!" Silica and Leafa shouted in shock.

"So, you're still at the games, huh?" Ex-Aid smiled. "Man, you're awesome!"

Nico then just elbowed him off of herself. She then faced Ex-Aid.

"You were the only one who beat me." She said. "I'm here to take my revenge!"

"Is that… it?" Sinon asked.

Nico groaned and then went to Snipe, shoving everyone out of the way.

"Hey, what do I have to do use that thing?" She asked, pointing at the Gamer Driver.

Snipe sneered at the statement, but Nico grabbed the Driver off of his waist and eyed it carefully.

"I want to be a Kamen Rider so I can beat M!" Nico said.

Snipe sighed. He walked up behind Nico. He grabbed the Gamer Driver. She tried to keep her grasp on it, but with a swift kick from Snipe, she was thrown into the wall, letting go of the Gamer Driver.

"It's that naïvete that you ended up with game disease!" He scolded.

Nico looked up, but she was struggling. The stress was beginning to pile up.

"This ain't no ordinary game." Snipe continued. "This isn't just for fun!"

"We're all fighting with the only lives we got, so idiots like you will be okay." Snipe finished.

He then put on his Gamer Driver and then walked back.

"If you say you want to be a Kamen Rider one more time, I won't be so lenient." He said.

Nico scoffed, and she picked herself up and walked out. Ex-Aid wanted to go after her, but Asuna stopped him.

"We'll go." She said.

She motioned Leafa and Silica, and the three went after Nico. Snipe approached Ex-Aid shortly.

"You. With me. Now." He said coldly.

Ex-Aid slowly followed Snipe, with Sinon and Poppy not far behind.

The four walked a bit far until they walked into an abandoned park with a staircase. Snipe stopped and then pulled out his Gashat.

"This place should do." He said.

Sinon quickly raised her arrow, but Ex-Aid gently put it down.

"So you weren't playing just to play." He said. "You actually want to take care of your patients."

Snipe looked away.

"I'm different from you doctors." He said.

"But you were angry at Nico because you cared for her, didn't you?" Sinon chimed in, surprising him. "Right?"

"Shut up!" Snipe shouted.

Ex-Aid slowly walked up to Snipe.

"The stress of her is me winning games." Ex-Aid explained. "So, I'm asking you: Would you please operate on her?"

Snipe thought about it, but it was wrapped up quickly as he chuckled lightly.

"You really don't care about yourself, don't ya?" He said, turning to Ex-Aid and Sinon. "It goes without saying: I'll beat all of the Bugsters."

He then pressed the Gashat.

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

As the energy items scattered, he inserted the Gashat into the Driver.

"Henshin." He said.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

Just then, Revol and more Bugster mooks appeared.

"Mission: Protect Ex-Aid." Revol said.

The mooks all took up positions around Ex-Aid.

"They're all yours!" Ex-Aid called out.

 **GASHACON MAGNUM!**

Snipe summoned the Magnum and began to shoot just as Ex-Aid grabbed Sinon and dove out of the way. Snipe begun fighting Revol and the Bugsters. Sinon sat down next to him.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Been better." She replied.

Just then, steps approached the two. Behind them, were Genmu, who had the BugVisor on and his Gashat on hand, and Pallad, who also had his Gashat.

"Let's play, M." He smiled.

"I shall be retrieving Snipe's Gashats." Genmu declared.

Genmu pressed the Gashat, while Pallad turned the knob to the game he selected.

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

 **PERFECT PUZZLE!**

 **WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?**

"Henshin." They both said.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP!**

 **DANGER! DANGER! GENOCIDE! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

 **DUAL UP!**

 **GET THE GLORY IN THE CHAIN! PERFECT PUZZLE!**

Both players transformed into their Rider forms, Genmu, the Zombie Gamer, Pallad, into Para-DX.

"I figured you would get here." Ex-Aid stated, putting on his Gamer Driver.

He then pulled out the Mighty Brothers XX Gashat.

"Don't get in the way of the operation!" Ex-Aid ordered as he pressed it.

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!**

"Henshin!" He called, inserting the Gashat into the Driver.

 **DOUBLE GASHATTO!**

Ex-Aid then opened the Driver up.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!**

Ex-Aid turned into his Level 10 chibi form. He then got ready.

"Sinon, you ready?" He asked.

"Just tell me who to shoot." Sinon smiled.

With that said, the two charged at Genmu and Para-DX.

Meanwhile, a bunch of monsters were dying left and right. All one could hear was monster cries before they shattered into nothing. Nico, with a sword out, she began to make her way through random monster spawns. She was about to get another one, but the monster she was aiming for already died in front of her. She looked behind he and saw Asuna, Leafa, and Silica.

"We're leaving. Now." Asuna demanded.

"Leave me alone!" Nico gripped.

She paced away from them, but she collapsed.

"Ex-Aid is curing right now, so be patient, please?" Silica asked.

"I don't even care anymore…" Nico growled.

Leafa had had enough. She then grabbed the girl and then began to head out.

"Hey! Let me go!" Nico shouted.

"No way, girl." Leafa said. "You're coming with us; wheather you like it or not."

Asuna and Silica quickly followed behind them.

Meanwhile, back to the fight, the Riders were in for a treat. Para-DX and Genmu already thrown Sinon out of their hair, and are only fighting Ex-Aid. Genmu first landed a palm strike, and then Para-DX followed up with a knee kick.

Sinon was thrown and landed right into a Bugster mook that was trailing Snipe. Snipe saw this and just shrugged it off, after shooting another mook, he pulled out a familiar looking Gashat and pressed it.

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

The dragon flew into view and flung back the Bugsters. Sinon had to duck to dodge the dragon's flight. He inserted into the Driver and then opened it up.

 **GASHATTO!**

"Phase 5." He called.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **BABABANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

Ex-Aid had the same idea, as he closed his Driver and then opened it back up.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai…" He began. "Henshin!"

 **GACHANN! DOUBLE UP!**

 **ORE GA OMAE DE! OMAE GA ORE DE! WE ARE! MIGHTY, MIGHTY BROTHERS! HEY! DOUBLE X!**

Ex-Aid split up into the two Ex-Aids that is XXR and XXL. After their brief pose, they began picking their targets.

"I'll take on Para-DX!" XXR declared.

"Then I'll combat Genmu!" XXL shouted.

But as they ran towards their targets, Para-DX closelined them both.

"Uh-uh, I don't think so!" He chuckled. "You both will be fighting me!"

Para-DX threw both Ex-Aids to his side, giving Genmu an opening to attack Snipe. Using that opening, Genmu charged towards Snipe as Para-DX battled both Ex-Aids.

Sinon continued firing her arrows. All of the grunts she shoots at are quickly replaced by another being summoned by Revol.

"They just keep coming!" She shouted.

That's when Snipe breathed in heavily. And then, he breathed out a large vortex of flames. Sinon dodged it, and while the fire vortex did torch Revol and the mooks, her tail was singed along with them. She quickly marched up to Snipe to grip.

"Hey! What was that for?!" She demanded.

"You were in the way." Snipe replied.

But that's when Genmu jumped in. He landed a kick on Snipe's shoulder and slashed his front with the Sparrow. Snipe swung his blade down, but it missed, giving Genmu another chance to slice up his body. Sinon also chimed in by shooting a couple of arrows. Genmu blocked them all, but Sinon used that window to get in close and hit him a couple of times with the bow. Genmu only chuckled and grabbed her in a chokehold. He then threw her behind him, only for Snipe to just swat her body out of the way.

"You're in my way!" He shouted.

"Just accept the help of somebody for once!" Sinon cried.

At this moment, Leafa arrived, still holding onto Nico by her arms. Asuna and Silica were close behind.

"Let go of me already!" Nico ordered.

Leafa did. But once she did, she grabbed Nico's arms and had her face the direction of the fight.

"Look." She said.

Nico suddenly became unresponsive. What she saw was a very one-sided fight. In one corner, Para-DX was overwhelming both Ex-Aids. Even with the numbers advantage, Para-DX was still being leisurely.

Near them, Genmu was easily battling Snipe and Sinon. Sinon was on the ground, giving support, while Snipe was fighting Genmu up close. Snipe fired his gun arm, but Genmu twirl-dodged it and then slashed his leg. Snipe collapsed to his knee. Genmu pressed he A Button on the Sparrow, and then slashed Snipe in the neck and the chest. Snipe was also thrown back near Sinon.

"They're putting their lives on the line playing this game to save your life!" Leafa scolded.

As Snipe tried to recover from the attack, Genmu became delighted.

"Would you rather…" He growled. "Give up your Gashats, or give up your life?"

Nico looked away. She couldn't watch this anymore. Now, Snipe's words earlier made a lot more sense. Just then, she realized she had to do something. She quickly drew her sword and marched out to the open.

"Taiga!" She called. "You can't let him beat you!"

Nico then charged. Snipe looked up to notice. Leafa and the others just got confused. Once Nico was in slashing distance, she slashed and sliced Genmu's back. She did this at least three times before Genmu just shattered her sword by blocking it with his arm. He then shoved her towards Snipe, who caught her falling.

"Taiga…" She whispered.

"Don't tell me what I'm going to do." Snipe said. "I'm not getting beaten."

He then motioned Sinon over. She quickly grabbed Nico and quickly left with Leafa. Snipe then pulled out the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat and then inserted it into the slot on the side.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

After gathering enough energy, he pressed the button again.

 **DRAGO KNIGHT CRITICAL STRIKE!**

Snipe then fired a huge energy blast straight at Genmu, who was soon consumed by an explosion. Leafa, Nico, and the others quickly came out of hiding.

"You did it!" Nico cheered.

She spoke soon. The smoke of the explosion cleared, Genmu's body glowed purple. It then slowly rose back up with crackling sounds of bones. Once Genmu was upright, he breathed in heavily.

"Have you forgotten already, Mr. Radiologist?" He chuckled. "I am immortal."

"Alright, you asked for it!" Snipe shouted.

The two locked blades once again. In between the fight of Para-DX and Genmu, Revol was looking back and forth to figure out what to do.

"Adjusting perimeters. Recalculating. Does not compute." He said, looking back and forth from the fights.

Para-DX kicked both Ex-Aids off of him, and then he raised his arms. Energy Item coins arranged themselvese 4 by 4. He shifted the rows and columns around and then found the three Energy Item coins he was looking for. He flipped them and the coins were absorbed into his body.

 **MUSCLE UP! SPEED UP! INVISIBLE!**

Para-DX turned invisble. And in the blink of and eye, he landed a punch on both Ex-Aids. He then landed a kick on the other side of their bodies, opposite of the punches.

"I can't see him!" XXR called.

"Neither can I!" XXL replied.

Para-DX smiled, and then flash-stepped towards them, landing a critical palm strike on their chests. He then appeared behind them again, and cancelled out his power-ups. XXL and XXR were cancelled out of their transformations and reverted back into Ex-Aid.

 **GASHUNN!**

Para-DX was disappointed by the results.

"C'mon, M!" He cried. "Is that seriously all you got?"

He walked towards Ex-Aid. Just then, a small projectile landed on his back. Para-DX slowly turned around.

"Huh?" He started. "Who just shot me in the back?"

He saw Revol with his arm stretched out. He had just fired a cannon shell.

"Primary objective: Help Ex-Aid attain victory and achieve full form." Revol said.

He then active his shoulder minigun. He fired a billion shots, but Para-DX easily blocked them all with a puzzle-pattern energy shield.

"Well…" He sighed, walking closer to Revol. "I guess NPCs aren't a smart bunch to begin with."

He pulled out his Gashat and turned the knob upward twice.

 **KNOCK OUT FIGHTER!**

 **THE STRONGEST FIST! ROUND 1! ROCK AND FIRE!**

"Dai Henshin." He said, pressing the Gashat.

 **EXPLOSION HIT! KNOCK OUT FIGHTER!**

Para-DX's Perfect Puzzle form soon flipped over to his Knock Out Fighter form.

Genmu just kicked Snipe off of him, and saw what Para-DX was doing.

"Pallad! What are you doing?!" He called. "He's not a priority!"

"I don't care." Para-DX replied. "I eliminate anyone who gets in the way of my fun."

He then pulled out his Gashat again, and twist the knob up and back.

 **KIMEWAZA!**

He then inserted the Gashat back into his holder.

 **DUAL GASHAT!**

 **KNOCK OUT CRITICAL SMASH!**

He then jumped into the air. Revol didn't know how to respond, so he turned around and ran away. But it wasn't fast enough to dodge Para-DX's punch. He was consumed by a large explosion along with a "PERFECT!" over him.

 **K.O.!**

Genmu then detached the BugVisor from his waist and used it to absorb the Bugster residue of Revol.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

Once that was done, both Genmu and Para-DX cancelled out of their transformations.

 **GASHUNN!**

"M." Pallad said. "I'll be looking forward to our more serious fight!"

And with that, Pallad and Genmu both disappeared. Ex-Aid then felt the sharp pain in his head again. He yelled and screamed as Asuna and Leafa ran up to see if he was okay.

"Emu!" Asuna called. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know…" Ex-Aid admitted. "I've been having headaches for a while…"

"When did this happen?" Sinon asked, helping him up.

"Every time I transform; it happens…" Ex-Aid added.

Snipe looked away, but in worry, not of pity.

'His symptoms are getting worse…' He thought.

But his thought trailed off as Nico spoke up to taunt Ex-Aid.

"Wow, man." She yelled condescendingly. "You must be seriously losing your touch if you lost to those guys."

"Talk about rude…" Silica commented.

Ex-Aid smiled at Nico.

"At least your game disease is cured." He said.

Nico looked away as if do avoid a comment. She turned to Snipe.

"Well?" She said. "Say something!"

"What?" Snipe asked.

"Just do it!" Nico shot back.

With nothing on his mind, Snipe just yelled the first thing that came to his mind.

"This goes without saying: I'll take your Gashats too!" He yelled, walking away.

"You heard him! My doctor's gonna pummel you!" Nico chimed in, skipping away with Snipe.

They argued until they had disappeared.

"That was the first time you weren't able to make a patient smile, Emu." Silica sighed.

"And I think it's only gonna get worse…" Ex-Aid admitted, with a sigh.

Then they all sighed as the ALO sunset soon turned into night.


	25. Would You like Ketchup or Mustard?

Chapter 25: Would You like Ketchup or Mustard?

 _ **Ex-Aid Online**_

A boss monster roared and it slammed down its fist down. However, a lone player dodged the attack and landed a critical strike on the head. And in one strike, the monster roared and shattered into nothingness. The player withdrew his weapon as the rest of the players approached him.

"Wow, man!" said a Caith Sith player. "You just took out a boss all by yourself? That was amazing!"

The player turned around and smiled.

"Yep!" Ex-Aid replied. "Could've used your help though!"

After that, Ex-Aid went out of the dungeon to grab a little snack, leaving the party behind him cheering and applauding him.

"Emu's not here?" Liz asked.

Brave's mansion was currently occupied by the SAO characters and Poppy, who was placed to hold down.

"Yeah." Poppy replied. "He hasn't been feeling well, so I had him take a day off at the least."

"Well, a doctor's greatest asset is his health." Sinon replied. "I hope he feels better later."

"Speaking of which, what is Hiro doing now?" Klein asked.

"He has a surgery today." Poppy replied. "He'll join us later today."

While everyone was talking and joking about other things, Kirito was off on the side, looking out of the window. Asuna noticed this and slowly approached him.

"Hey." She called.

"Hey." Kirito answered.

There was an awkward silence. The couple looked away from each other.

"So…" Asuna started. "How've you been?"

Kirito didn't reply. He just continued on looking out the window. Asuna sighed and stood up.

"Okay, spill it." She said. "Why are you attacking Ex-Aid?"

"You wouldn't understand." Kirito replied.

"Then make me understand!" Asuna shouted loud enough for everyone around the room could hear.

Everyone turned to Asuna and Kirito. They all had their eyes fixed on the couple.

"I can't tell you." Kirito replied, standing up and facing Asuna. "I need to handle that matter on my own."

Asuna didn't respond at first. Then, an audible slap can be heard. Asuna's face was very tense, but her eyes looked very sad. Kirito's right cheek is very red.

"Asuna…" Kirito muttered.

She then stormed off. Kirito held his cheek and just looked on the direction his girlfriend stormed off in.

"What did you do man?" Klein asked.

Kirito didn't reply, he was too absent-minded to answer questions. Just then, Poppy shouted.

"Bugster located!" She called.

Kirito began to head out, but Leafa stopped him.

"Kirito, you're not going anywhere." She demanded. "Liz, Silica, Sinon can you guys handle it?"

"Of course!" Silica smiled.

"Leave it to us!" Sinon said.

"We'll be right on it!" Liz agreed.

The two set off outside as Klein and Leafa stayed with Kirito.

Ex-Aid was sitting in a restaurant of some kind. He was having a hamburger, fries, and strangely enough, a soda as well. He was having a swell time with it.

'Man, what a burger!' He thought to himself.

He reached out for the burger again, but it felt different. It was hard, and not squishy. Ex-Aid looked up and saw what he was feeling. It WAS a hamburger, but much larger. At first he was taken aback, but he tried to deduce the situation first.

"You're… not a monster…" He said slowly.

He poked the 'hamburger' and it jerked upward, revealing a face. It also had a conveyor belt for an arm.

Ex-Aid and the monster both yelled as the monster ran away, as if it was scared. Ex-Aid went after it, but he tripped over a chair. He quickly recovered and sent a message to the others as he continued his chase.

 _Ex-Aid. I found a Bugster!_

The Bugster ran really long. For its size, it is very athletic. It only stopped when it ran into a cave. It desparately tried to look for a way to escape, but it got no dice. A bit later, a middle-aged young man ran over to him. He seemed very worried.

"There you are!" He shouted. "I told you not to move from here!"

"But there was a good smell of hamburgers…" The Bugster whined.

The player scoffed and handed it a bag.

"I told you I'll get some burgers, so stay put!" He scolded.

"Hamburgers?!" The Bugster replied, smiling at the bag.

"If someone saw you, it could've gotten out of hand!" The player reminded.

"Stay away from it!" shouted a voice.

Ex-Aid ran up behind the player and the Bugster.

"I'm Hojo Emu, AKA Ex-Aid, from Cyber Rescue Center." Ex-Aid introduced. "I will excise that Bugster!"

"Excise…?" The player repeated.

Then, the player felt a sharp pain in his chest. He then began crackling and pixelating. He struggled over to him.

"Please! Don't! He's not evil!" He pleaded.

Ex-Aid got confused by that request, but just then, Silica, Poppy, Lisbeth, and Sinon ran up behind him.

"Ex-Aid!" Sinon called. "Is that the patient?"

Poppy flew over to him and did a quick scan.

"Yes." She replied. "It's him."

Steps were heard shortly after. Snipe and Nico entered the scene.

"Snipe! Nico!" Ex-Aid called.

"Don't act all friendly with me!" Nico shot back.

She then turned to Snipe and went all googly eyes to him.

"Pweeze, beat M, okay?" She asked.

"And you don't act all friendly with me!" Snipe scolded, shaking her off of him. "I'm your doctor. Nothing more, nothing less!"

Liz stepped forward.

"If you two aren't here to help, move!" She ordered.

"Same goes for you and the game, egghead." Nico taunted.

Liz then went all anime-devil and would've strangled Nico if Silica and Sinon didn't hold her back.

"How about another match, Ex-Aid?" Snipe asked. "Whoever beats the Bugster first takes all Gashats."

"Well, that ain't fair now, is it?" asked a delighted voice.

Pallad slowly walked towards them with the Gashat Gear Duel in his hand.

"2-on-1 against a Bugster?" He said. "That's no fun now, is it?"

Ex-Aid and Snipe put on their Gamer Drivers and pulled out their Gashats in response.

"Let's make it fair, shall we?" Pallad smiled, turning the knob on the Gashat.

 **PERFECT PUZZLE!**

 **WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?**

"Henshin." He said, pressing the Gashat.

 **DUAL UP!**

 **GET THE GLORY IN THE CHAIN! PERFECT PUZZLE!**

Pallad quickly turned into Para-DX Perfect Puzzle form. In response to this, Ex-Aid and Snipe also pressed their Gashats.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

"Phase 2." Snipe said.

"Dai Henshin!" Ex-Aid called.

They inserted their Gashats, and then they opened their Drivers up, going straight into Level 2.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **BABABANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

Ex-Aid and Snipe turned into their Level 2 forms. Ex-Aid got his fisticuffs ready, as Snipe got his Gashacon Magnum.

"Alright, let's play!" Para-DX grinned.

"Mission start!" Snipe announced.

Para-DX engaged Ex-Aid, locking him in a fist fight.

Snipe ignored this and just turned his attention over to the Bugster. He fired several shots, but the Bugster miraculously dodged them all. Then, a lucky bullet landed on the Bugster, stumbling him. Snipe then unloaded another magazine's load of bullets, damaging the Bugster further.

"Yea-ha! Get rekt, son!" Nico cheered.

"Please! Stop!" The player pleaded.

He then began to pixelate again. Sinon noticed this and then connected the dots. Ex-Aid did the same.

"Wait! The patient's stressed out!" He noted. "Could it…?"

He threw Para-DX off of him and deflected the next round of bullets Snipe fired at the Bugster.

"Hey!" Snipe called. "Why are you protecting a Bugster?"

"It's related to the patient!" Ex-Aid explained.

This was responded with a kick to his back.

"Hey, pay attention to who you're fighting here!" Para-DX reminded. "C'mon! Where's your A game? Mighty Brothers?"

"If I knew it'd turn to this, I would've brought the rest of my Gashats…" Ex-Aid muttered.

It should be noted that the following Gashats, Mighty Brothers XX, Shakariki Sports, Gekitotsu Robots, Bakusou Bike, were all left behind in his quarters in Brave's mansion.

"Aw, man!" Poppy whined. "Of all the times to not have your equipment!"

"Wow." Para-DX groaned. "That's lame as hell."

Snipe just went back to attacking the Bugster. He took his attack more further. He walked closer towards the Bugster as he continued firing. He then knee-kicked it in the stomach, making drop on his knees. He then picked him up and butt-stroked him.

The player then had an idea. He crawled over to Ex-Aid. He opened up his Item scroll and pressed some things.

"Please!" He begged. "Help him with this!"

Ex-Aid noticed a notice on his board with his Item scroll. He pressed it, and something appeared on his hands. And the item seemed to resemble… a Gashat?

"Is that…?" Silica muttered. "A Gashat?"

"What the hell…?" Para-DX asked.

"The game is JuJu Burger." The player explained. "It's an action game where you have to cook hamburgers to feed a gluttonous monster."

Once Para-DX observed the Gashat a bit closer, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh my god!" He exclaimed. "To think I'd see a Level 4 Gashat around here!"

"Level 4…?" Ex-Aid muttered.

Snipe fired at the Bugster a few more times. The Bugster finally tumbled down on its back. The player pixelated even more because of this. Ex-Aid had to make a decision.

"Ah, what the hell!" He called. "I'll use it!"

He got back up, and pressed the Gashat proudly.

 **JUJU BURGER!**

A small robot resembling a hamburger roller-bladed around Ex-Aid. Nico turned around just in time to see this.

"What the-, JuJu Burger?" She said, baffled.

Ex-Aid closed up his Driver and inserted the Gashat.

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

"Dai Dai Dai Dai Henshin!" He called, opening the Driver.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY, MIGHTY ACTION! X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **BUR~GER! JUJU! BUR~GER! JUJU! JUJU BURGER!**

The small hamburger robots split apart and attached its limbs onto Ex-Aid. Its feet became roller-skates for him. Two lasers, in the shape of ketchup and mustard bottles were on his arms, and Ex-Aid's chest was now the colors of a hamburger. And he is also wearing a helmet, by the looks of it.

"I'll make hamburgers with no continues!" He cheered, after a little spin move.

He then pointed the two sauce bottles of sauce towards Snipe, and fired two lasers, which hit him on the chest. Snipe, in response, began shooting at Ex-Aid. But, oddly enough, Ex-Aid was dodging all of the shots. This was because of the roller blades he got with the Gashat. He swerved this way and rolled that way, with explosions coming up all behind him. And with final kick, he launched Snipe away from him. He quickly grabbed the Bugster and ran away with the rest of the gang.

Para-DX was just watching the whole thing, rather amused.

"Well… this changes everything." He chuckled.

He then disappeared. Snipe got up slowly, and cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

He slowly stood up and was greeted by a very annoyed Nico.

"How?!" She started. "Just how did you lose to someone on roller skates?!"

Snipe just ignored her, and tried to determine what just happened.

"So…" He whispered. "That Gashat is more agility-based…"

"Hey, news flash." Nico interrupted. "That game was about burgers."

Snipe was just apalled by it, but he didn't say anything as he just held his frustration in.

The player was moved to Brave's mansion. He was just finished getting checked out by Poppy. Everyone else was present as well. Once she had finished, he slowly stood up.

"I'm Archer." The player replied. "But my real name is Nagata Koutarou."

"Nagata?" Leafa asked. "Are you related to Recon?"

"Well, yes." Archer replied. "I'm his uncle."

They all nodded, but then they all turned their attention over to the Bugster, who was just silently patting Archer's leg.

"And the Bugster is…?" Ex-Aid asked.

"He's Burgermon." Archer replied confidently.

Burgermon waved hello to the SAO gang and the Rider.

"I'm actually an employee at GENM Corp." Archer explained. "Ever since the President went missing, I've been developing a new game to help our company recover…"

"But once I had finished JuJu Burger, I got infected with the Bugster virus." Archer continued.

 _(Flashback)_

 _Koutarou had just finishing typing on his computer in the office. It had the coding and program of JuJu Burger._

 _He smiled, and then he left to ALO to get some rest._

 _Once he had logged in as Archer, he took one step, and then he collapsed. Orange blobs formed on him. The blobs then flew off of him and then formed into Burgermon. At first, Archer was shocked by it, but once he got a better look at the Bugster, he realized that it was just Burgermon. He hugged him as a response, but the pain was still there._

"Meeting Burgermon still feels like yesterday…" Archer sighed.

"Then, what's with the Gashat?" Sinon asked.

"I was part of the Gashat development team for five years." Archer replied. "I created it, just in case if my condition got worse, and if I had to talk to CR about my condition."

"I designed him myself from paper to screen." Archer went on. "And to actually be next to him…"

Burgermon laughed as Archer began to pat his head.

"It's like having a son I thought I never needed…" Archer sighed.

"But… isn't he still a Bugster infecting your body?" Silica asked.

"So?" Archer retorted. "He's still candy to my eyes."

"Candy?" Burgermon spoke up. "Why not hamburgers?"

"Ah, don't be silly!" Archer chuckled.

Ex-Aid had had enough, and decided to speak up.

"If we don't cure you soon, he's going to take over your body!" He shouted. "You'll vanish!"

At this moment, Burgermon jumped away from everyone and stayed a distance away.

"That's right…" Burgermon admitted solemnly. "Burgermon has to go away… so Archer can be healghy…"

"Don't say that!" Archer scolded. "The thought of losing you… it would be too much!"

Burgermon then got really close to him.

"Burgermon feels the ghame!" He cried.

Then, Archer gave Burgermon a hug. It was very gentle, and Burgermon returned it kindly.

"You and I are two sides of the same coin…" Archer declared. "Don't forget that."

Then the two began to pat their backs for a little bit longer.

As those two went on, Liz whispered to Ex-Aid's ear.

"This might be a bit harder than we thought…" She commented.

"Don't remind me…" Ex-Aid sighed.

A little while later, Burgermon and Poppy, in her human size, were in the kitchen. They were both wearing orange fast food restaurant-like had and uniform, and were about to make some delicious hamburgers.

"This conveyor belt pumps out tophings!" Burgermon called, pointing to his left arm.

"Wow! Cool!" Poppy cheered. "Can you show me, Burgermon?"

"Of course!" Burgermon said, activating the belt.

First, came in the buns. Then the lettuce. Then the patty. And then finally, the tomato. They began carefully stacking them together.

"Stack them together… and you make…" The two announced. "JuJu Burger!"

The burger then appeared onto Poppy's hands, looking very delicious.

"Would you like a bite?" Burgermon asked.

"Yes, please!" Poppy smiled, biting into the sandwich.

Once she had swallowed it, her eyes opened widely.

"It's so good!" She cried. "Burgermon, you're so awesome!"

"Burgermon, aweghome?" Burgermon repeated.

"Let's eat it together!" Poppy suggested.

"Yeah, glets!" Burgermon agreed.

As the two began to eat their burgers very happily, on the doors to the kitchen, everyone was looking with the top of their heads popping out. They slowly slid away and closed the door. They went back to the living room, and pondered what to do with Burgermon.

"Well, now what?" Asuna asked.

"If we defeat Burgermon, Archer will be stressed and vanish…" Silica stated.

"The question is… how should we treat him then?" Liz said.

"Just how we treat all other patients." Suggested a voice.

That voice belonged to Kirito. He had just come back online and had entered the living room with Brave.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Klein asked.

"So, I hear there's another a game disease patient?" Brave asked.

As if on cue, Poppy and Burgermon both entered the living room together all talking together like good friends.

"Burgermon, will you play rhythm games with me?" Poppy asked.

"Of ghourse!" Burgermon cheered.

Brave and Kirito noticed Burgermon, and while the latter immediately raised his sword, Brave just approached him at a frightening speed.

"Why is there a Bugsters here?!" Brave asked.

"It's... actually a really long story." Sinon explained.

"Let's make it concise then." Kirito said.

He then darted forward towards Burgermon, but Asuna was able to block his strike.

"Not this time!" She called.

She then threw Kirito's swords out of his hands.

Brave, on the other hand, was stopped by Leafa and Liz.

"Intern, lend me your Gashats!" He shouted. "I will excise that Bugster!"

"Will you just calm down, please?" Leafa asked.

"You can't harm him!" Liz shouted.

"Bugsters are humankind's enemies!" Brave shouted.

Just then, Poppy chimed in.

"Brave!" She scolded. "Don't discriminate all Bugsters as evil! Burgermon is a good boy!"

While Brave and Kirito just took it at face value, Burgermon got all mopey.

"Just like I thought…" He admitted. "Burgermon is a ghenemy… and an enemy is destined to be defeaged…"

Then, Burgermon disappeared. Brave quickly left the room, followed by Ex-Aid. Now, the living room was only occupied by the SAO survivors.

"Y'know, he's not wrong." Kirito remarked.

"What?" Klein asked.

"I mean; you guys honestly believe Burgermon is a good guy?" Kirito said. "For all we know, this act could be a ploy to infect all of us!"

Asuna had heard enough. She walked up to Kirito and soon they were only mere inches apart from each other.

"I don't care what you think." She stated. "We're staying behind Burgermon and that's that."

The two couple had a staring contest and then Asuna broke off when she stormed off. Sinon noticed a lone tear escaped her eye.

'Kirito…' She thought. 'Just what are you hiding…?'

IR, Dan was sitting in a warehouse. He was still typing some things onto his computer. He had the Taddle Quest Gashat on screen, and another Gashat was connected to it via computer and virtual lines. The Gashat seemed to resemble Pallad's own Gashat Gear Dual. But, something has him concerned.

"JuJu Burger?" He asked.

"Yep." Pallad replied. "That's one of the Level 4 games you planned, remember? Kind of like Bang Bang Tank?"

"Oh… yes." Dan said. "We were on a time constraint, so we had to remove them from the lineup."

"To think someone else other than you made a Gashat…" Pallad remarked. "Ain't that out of nowhere?"

"Indeed." Dan replied. "As such, I must reclaim it."

"Burgermon's gone?!" Archer asked the next day.

"Yes…" Leafa tried to explain. "We lost sight of him this morning…"

Just then Poppy burst into the room.

"HELP!" She shouted. "We have a message left behind in pickles!"

"Pickles?" Ex-Aid asked.

Pina and Silica then brought in a plate. It had small slices of pickles with letters on them. Liz read them out loud.

"Archer, eggpleht…?" She read.

"What do eggplants have to do with this?" Leafa asked.

"I… don't know…" Archer admitted.

"Wait!" Ex-Aid suddenly called. "If we rearrage some letters here…"

He then moved some pickes around. Once he had done, now the riddle made more sense.

"Archer, get ghelp!" Liz read aloud again.

Sinon then took a pickle. She took a bite from it, and while she did react a bit as it was sour, it gave her a clue.

"These are still fresh. He has to be close by!" She said.

And close by he was, as several players are seen running away from him. He had approached two players were backed up to a wall as Burgermon approached them.

"I will make you all into topghings!" He called.

He tried making a threat, but it came up short.

"Now… ketchup gwill spill…" He started. "Oh wait; Blood gwill spill!"

But then, he was pelted with bullets, causing some minor damage. He turned around to see who shot him in the back. Snipe, with the Magnum out, in his Rider form, and Nico were just chill-like standing there.

"Taiga, get this over with before M comes." Nico ordered.

"Don't order me around." Snipe said. "Besides, I was going to do just that anyway."

He then began to fire some more bullets at Burgermon. He then collapsed onto his knees.

"Wow. This is beyond pathetic." Snipe admitted.

Burgermon had other ideas. He was feeling satisfied by this though.

"This is for the ghest…" He whispered to himself. "Koutarou… thank you for everything…"

Snipe then pulled out his Gashat and then inserted it into his Magnum.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

"Bye-bye." Snipe said.

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FINISH!**

Just then, an arrow soared through the air and hit the side of the Magnum, causing Snipe to fire towards a tree, utterly destroying it. Him and Nico turned to see Ex-Aid, and the SAO girls with Poppy and Archer.

"Burgermon!" Archer called out.

"Archer!" Burgermon answered.

But then, he turned around and began to attack the players he had cornered.

"I gwill spill your ketch… err, blood!" He cried.

"Okay…" Liz admitted. "Burgermon never attacked people before…"

Snipe then began to fire more shots at Burgermon, giving the players an opening to retreat. However, Archer collapsed onto his knees and then began to pixelate.

"You guys have to stop Snipe!" Poppy cried.

Sinon didn't have to be told twice. As Snipe raised his Magnum for one final shot, Sinon grabbed it and then flipped Snipe around. But Snipe threw her off of him.

"You're siding with a Bugster that's attacking people?" He asked.

"Burgermon isn't evil!" Sinon retorted.

Liz and Silica helped Archer up, so that he would be able to talk to Burgermon.

"Burgermon, why are you doing this?!" Archer cried. "I never raised you to be like this!"

Burgermon then began to laugh.

"That was just gan act, Archer…" He said. "Burgermon has always been a very evil ghenemy!"

"Enemy?" Ex-Aid asked.

"Just as I thought." A voice echoed.

Kirito entered the fray, with his swords out. He then slowly walked towards Burgermon.

"What did I tell you?" He remarked.

He then began to pick up his speed, but Asuna had other ideas. She quickly stopped Kirito by jabbing her rapier right in front of him.

"That's not true!" She called out to Burgermon. "You're just acting like the enemy, so that we would defeat you!"

"Getting defeated isn't the only role an enemy has!" Ex-Aid added.

"He's right!" Poppy chimed in. "In JuJu Burger, if the player can fulfill Burgermon's orders, he will be satisfied and smile like the sun! He's a kind monster!"

Burgermon wondered about this, but he decided not to hear any of it.

"Shut up!" He screamed. "I will turn you all into topghings!"

Ex-Aid then stepped forward.

"If that's your game, then it's on!" He called, putting on his Gamer Driver.

He pulled out his Mighty Action X Gashat first, and pressed it.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

He then inserted it into the Driver, and not soon after, he opened the Driver up.

"Henshin!" He called.

 **GASHATTO! GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Ex-Aid soon turned into his Level 2 Rider form. He then pulled out his next Gashat, and pressed it as well.

 **JUJU BURGER!**

The small hamburger robot appeared and rolled around Ex-Aid. He closed the Driver and inserted the Gashat.

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

He then opened his Driver back up.

"Dai Dai Dai Dai Henshin!" He called.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY, MIGHTY ACTION! X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **BUR~GER! JUJU! BUR~GER! JUJU! JUJU BURGER!**

The small robots broke apart once more and attached its parts onto respective parts onto Ex-Aid.

"Eat this!" Burgermon cried.

He stretched out his conveyor belt arm and launched projectiles that took the shape of several hamburger toppings.

"You really think slow moving projectiles are going to stop me?" Snipe sneered.

He pressed the B button on the Magnum and began firing rapidly. While he did most of them, the others came out as a miss. Snipe was about to fire again, Sinon stopped him.

"Stop!" She ordered. "JuJu Burger is not that kind of game!"

"She's right!" Ex-Aid replied, stepping forward.

He then rubbed his hands together, and pumped his fists.

"I'm going to make him a burger!" He cried.

 _(Cue Excite!)_

Ex-Aid began to roll towards Burgermon. He continued firing all sorts of projectiles. Ex-Aid dodge most of them, only picking off the ones he could see. He fired two lasers, one red and the other yellow, and each would hit a projectile, turning it into the following toppings: Lettuce, a patty, a tomato slice, a slice chees, and some buns. After doing this a couple of times, he pulled out the JuJu Burger Gashat and inserted it into the slot on the side of the belt.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Ex-Aid then jumped up into the air with one of his hands open, palm facing the sky. He pressed the button on the side.

 **JUJU CRITICAL STRIKE!**

Then, all of the hamburger toppings all converged together onto his hands and formed into the most massive hamburger anyone has ever seen. He rolled over to Burgermon very carefully and gave him the burger.

"Thank you for waiting, sir!" He said. "Here's your order: One deluxe premium JuJu Burger!"

He took the plate.

"Enjoy." He smiled.

Burgermon eyed the burger carefully, and then he shoved the huge sandwich right into his mouth. After wiping his lips, he then began to cry all anime-like. And then, out of nowhere, he bursted into a huge yell with a huge smile on his face.

"DELICIOUS SMILE!" He cried.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

Poppy checked Archer. He was clear.

"He's cured!" She said in an amazed voice.

Snipe saw this, but was cut short by Nico being a grouch.

"I can't believe you!" She cried. "Why are you trying to _shoot_ down burgers in a game about _making_ burgers?!"

Snipe tried to put up with it, but she was a handful, even for him.

"Wait." Kirito spoke up. "If he's cured, why is Burgermon still here?"

"I thought I gwas supposed to be gone?" Burgermon complied.

"I'm sure he's still here because the goal of JuJu Burger was to make Burgermon smile!" Silica said.

Burgermon then thought of something. He ran up to Archer, who Liz and Leafa didn't have to support anymore.

"So…" He said slowly. "I can still be with Archer?"

Then, the two began to hug it out very well. The SAO gang smiled at this site.

"Well, looks like they're a whole family again." Leafa sighed.

Kirito smiled at this too. He reached over to Asuna, but she stepped away from him. Everyone else smiled meanwhile. They were happy for the unusual duo.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

The area turned into the inside of a shed. Not only were the SAO players and Ex-Aid were transported, Snipe, Nico, Burgermon, and Archer was sent here as well. They were initially confused by how they got here, but then they saw who was approaching them. Genmu and Pallad were casually walking towards them.

"President, sir!" Archer called out. "You're okay! What happened to you?"

"Genmu!" Ex-Aid called. "What are you doing here?"

Genmu and Pallad didn't respond, as the former only put on the BugVisor, while the latter pulled out his Gashat Gear Dual.

"I shall reclaim that bootleg game." Genmu declared.

"M, let's play!" Pallad smiled.

Then, the two pressed their Gashats.

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

 **PERFECT PUZZLE!**

"Henshin!" The both said, inserting their Gashats.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP!**

 **DANGER! DANGER! GENOCIDE! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

 **DUAL UP!**

 **GET THE GLORY IN THE CHAIN! PERFECT PUZZLE!**

Both players turned into their Rider forms.

"Poppy! Get back!" Ex-Aid called.

Poppy, Lisbeth, Silica all hid back with Nico, while everyone else, with Snipe, they all charged towards Genmu and Para-DX. Asuna, Leafa, and Ex-Aid fought Para-DX, while Sinon, Snipe, and Kirito fought Genmu.

Para-DX had no interest in fighting the others, but he had to enjoy himself. So he just had to play along. He grabbed Leafa's blade, and then toss it aside. He would the grabbed her arm and swing her around like bat, slamming Asuna and Ex-Aid.

Genmu was just having a fun time as well. Whenever he got his foes on his knees, he would just kick them on the ground to pin them. Just then, Ex-Aid's group fell over to him. He grabbed Ex-Aid by his head, and just threw him into Sinon.

Para-DX stepped back and then gathered his Energy Items again. He slid them horizontally and vertically, wondering what to choose.

"Now… what should I have today…?" He wondered. "We'll go with these!"

He flipped two Energy Item coins as they were absorbed into his body.

 **SPEED UP! MUSCLE UP!**

He then turned into a blur. He kicked the SAO players out of the way first, and then he nailed Snipe in the stomach. He picked up Ex-Aid too.

"You're still up for more, right?" He teased.

He then threw him up in the air, and then proceeded to pull out his Gashat, twist the knob, and insert it back.

 **KIMEWAZA!**

 **DUAL GASHAT!**

 **PERFECT CRITICAL COMBO!**

Para-DX then faded to each player, kicking them in the chest, neck, or somewhere long those areas.

 **ALL CLEAR!**

The players were all thrown back, while the Riders were sent out of their transformations.

 **GASHUNN!**

The JuJu Burger Gashat was on the ground, near Para-DX, so he just picked it up.

"We'll be taking this back." He chuckled.

"Give it back!" Leafa demanded. "That's Archer's!"

Para-DX was about to make a comment, but something stopped him. It was a standby sound. He turned to see where it was coming from. Or rather who. Genmu was looking at Burgermon, and the standby sound was coming the BugVisor. He pressed the B button on the BugVisor and let hell ensue.

 **CRITICAL DEAD!**

A horde of shadow zombies roared up from the ground and rapidly approached Burgermon and Archer.

"Archer, get gack!" Burgermon cried, shoving Archer behind him.

Burgermon yelled, and he began to slash away the zombie shadows, but there were too many for him to handle. Soon, the shadow zombies became to pile up on him and then explode after blinking red. Everyone else couldn't help but watch. After taking the explosion, summoning his last amount of strength, Burgermon turned to Archer.

"Archer!" He said. "Please… keep on making… games… full ogh… dreams…!"

Then, with a one grunt, Burgermon fell over and then exploded into a thousand glass shards. When the smoke had cleared, Burgermon was nowhere to be seen.

"BURGERMON!" Archer cried.

Behind the explosion, was Genmu, with a very condescending armfold. Everyone was shocked by it. Leafa, Liz, and Silica became speechless. Snipe and Sinon wached on with appalled eyes. Ex-Aid and Kirito were also lost. Asuna was covering her mouth.

"Cruel…!" Poppy spluttered, covering her mouth.

"That was a bit much…" Nico admitted.

Para-DX didn't say anything. He only clenched a fist with his free hand.

"What the hell was that…?!" Ex-Aid exclaimed quietly.

Genmu turned his attention to Ex-Aid, who was just struggling on his feet. Ex-Aid then screamed very loudly.

"Burgermon… was a good boy…!" Ex-Aid shouted, breating heavily.

Then, his eyes glowed red, and he fell onto the ground.

"Sympathizing with a Bugster now, are we?" Genmu chuckled. "Now, is that you, or your body talking?"

And on that note, Genmu dissipated into thin air. Para-DX looked on at Genmu, and then followed after him. Ex-Aid and the others began to slowly help each other up.

Dan was delightfully looking at a screen. It displayed everything the JuJu Burger Gashat had to offer.

"I thought you only wanted the Gashat." Pallad said, sitting on a table behind him. "Was defeating the Bugster really necessary?"

"I will never allow the creation of a game without my permission as the game master." Dan replied, beginning to type.

"Then destroy that Gashat too then." Pallad suggested.

"The game was my proposal to begin with, mind you." Dan said.

And then, in a more serious tone, he added "Don't lump Gashats and Bugsters together."

Pallad looked away, as Dan turned back to his computer.

"All Gashats serve an important role…" He said. "To create the world that Akihiko Kayaba was never able to!"


	26. True Colors

Chapter 26: True Colors

The wind was blowing very lightly as the sun shone through the sky. And while that usually means a good thing, it doesn't here.

Emu was standing on the roof of the hospital. Hiro was up there with him. On either side of him were Asuna and Kazuto. Ryotarou and Suguha were a bit away from them. The atmosphere felt very serious.

"What's wrong?" Asuna spoke up. "You seem angry."

"I'm busy, so make it fast." Hiro said bluntly.

Emu breathed in, and then breathed out.

"It's something Genmu said to me." He stated. "He said something about my body… it had something to do with the Bugsters…"

Hiro perked up, but Snipe's words echoed through his mind. Kazuto also perked up, but he didn't say anything either. Asuna noticed this, but she took a mental note of it.

"Kazuto, Hiro!" Emu called out. "You two are hiding something from me, aren't you?"

The ones being questioned just looked away.

Meanwhile, Archer was in a café, within the game of ALO. He had Recon right in front of him, and the two seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"It's a huge responsibility…" He sighed. "But I have to do it, for the company's sake…"

Recon overheard his uncle, so he threw in his two cents.

"You okay, uncle?" He asked.

"It's nothing." Archer replied. "It's just… I don't know if I can make a breakthrough game for our company…"

Recon stood up, and walked up beside him.

"You'll be alright." He assured. "That game, whatever it may be, it's going to be awesome!"

Archer smiled lightly, and then he also remembered what Burgermon said to him.

" _Archer!" He said. "Please… keep on making… games… full ogh… dreams…!"_

Archer smiled, and then hugged Recon.

"Whoa!" He said. "What's this for?"

"No reason." Archer smiled.

After letting go and paying for what they got, the two decided to do some exploring.

"So, what do you want to, kid?" Archer asked.

"How about a monster battle?" Recon suggested. "Sakuya could really use you."

"Well, I guess I can help." Archer sniggered.

Recon and Archer went on for a bit before someone blocked their path. An Undine, with a strange object in his hand.

"Koutarou." Genmu smiled.

"President!" Archer called.

Recon looked at the Undine curiously, but then he looked at Archer curiously too.

"Uncle?" Recon spoke.

"That was quite a feat, creating a Gashat of your own." Genmu complimented.

But Archer didn't say. He just drew his bow.

"The folks at CR told me everything!" Archer stated. "Just what are you planning?"

"Uncle, who is this guy? What's going on?" Recon asked.

But Genmu just calmly raised the BugVisor. He pointed it viciously at Recon. But, in a quick move, he directed it towards Archer and spewed out a dark cloud with orange static. It consumed Archer as he fell to his knees, gasping for breath.

"Uncle!" Recon cried, holding his uncle.

After leaning him on a nearby rock, Recon approached Genmu.

"What was that?!" He demanded. "What did you do to him?!"

Genmu just simply picked him up by the throat and then just tossed him out of the way. He approached Archer with his signature slasher smile.

"A nobody like you could never make a hit!" He hollered. "Now suffer once more to game disease!"

Emu have had enough. He stepped forward once.

"You, Kiriya, Taiga, and now Kazuto…!" He started. "You're all hiding something from me!"

This was true, for the long time, Kiriya have been keeping something from him. And more recently, Taiga, Hiro, and Kazuto have been hiding something. As the three have attacked Emu.

"Tell me!" He demanded. "Why am I able to transform into Ex-Aid?"

"Well, isn't because you're a genius gamer?" Asuna suggested.

"Even if that's the case, how was I able to create Mighty Brothers XX?" Emu asked.

"Well…" Asuna stuttered. "That… I can't say."

Emu then turned to Kazuto and Hiro.

"Tell me the real reason you attacked me." He said. "And don't avoid the question this time."

"Then I have something to say as well." Hiro replied. "Give me your Gashats."

"Huh?" Asuna started.

"A Gashat is an important tool for a doctor of CR." Hiro stated. "So, hand them over."

"I told you to stop avoiding the question!" Emu spoke up.

But as soon as things were about to get serious, Suguha ran up to them.

"We have a patient." She said. "Silica just texted me."

The doctors took notice, and Hiro put his hand out.

"I'll go." He said. "Hand the Gashats over."

Emu wasn't going to put up with this. He just shoved Hiro off to the side and just ran towards the stairs. Asuna and the others quickly followed suit. Kirito and Hiro were the only ones left.

"If I had a Gashat, I could work on his game disease…" Hiro muttered.

"Well, you may have to rethink this then." Kirito suggested, only getting a glare from Hiro.

Ex-Aid, Poppy, Leafa, Klein and Asuna ran through the virtual world of ALO. They soon found Silica, who was waving.

"Over here!" She called.

They made their way over and soon found Archer. Sinon and Liz were trying to help out. And coincidentally enough, Recon was still here.

"Recon?" Leafa asked.

"Leafa!" Recon perked up, walking over to her.

Poppy and Asuna quickly helped Archer up. Ex-Aid then noticed a familiar face sitting on a log nearby.

"Genmu!" He called.

Genmu was sitting calmly with his legs crossed a few feet away. Shortly afterwards, Snipe and Nico came up.

"Why is he here?" Snipe asked.

"I used that man as bait." Genmu explained. "I infected that man with the Bugster virus, and reported it to CR, to lure you all here."

"What?" Ex-Aid muttered.

Genmu stood up, put on the BugVisor, and pressed his Gashat.

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

"Henshin." He said.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP!**

 **DANGER! DANGER! GENOCIDE! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

Genmu quickly transformed into his Dangerous Zombie Gamer form. He growled as he looked at the Riders and the players.

"Recon!" Leafa called. "Let's take your uncle to safety!"

"Uh… right!" Recon replied.

And as Recon and Leafa helped Archer out to safety, Ex-Aid and Snpe put on their Gamer Drivers and pressed their Gashats.

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!**

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

The game areas of the three game spread through out the area. Then, they inserted their Gashats.

"Henshin!" The two yelled.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **GASHATTO!**

 **LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME? I'M A KAMEN RIDER!**

 **DOUBLE GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!**

While Ex-Aid opened up his Driver twice to achieve his form, Snipe just opened it up once.

"Phase 5." Snipe said.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai…" Ex-Aid said. "Henshin!"

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **BABABANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

 **GACHANN! DOUBLE UP!**

 **ORE GA OMAE DE! OMAE GA ORE DE! WE ARE! MIGHTY, MIGHTY BROTHERS! HEY! DOUBLE X!**

Snipe turned into his Rider form, and soon after the dragon split apart and attached onto Snipe's body. Ex-Aid, on the other hand, split apart into the two Ex-Aids of XXR and XXL.

The three then began to attack Genmu. First, Snipe charge in first. He swung his sword, but Genmu dodged it effortlessly. But not soon after, XXR went in for a punch. After getting the punch, XXR crouched as XXL rolled over him and got in a kick. Then, the two Ex-Aids twirled away as Snipe tackled Genmu head on.

Genmu rolled backward. He looked over and saw Archer, still supported by Leafa and Recon. He saw an opportunity.

"You won't be able to make a game in your condition…" He growled. "And even if you could… all you would make is a pile of crap!"

That was the trigger. Archer screamed in pain, as orange blobs soon spewed out of his body. The blobs then soon formed into the shape of a humanoid.

"Wait a minute!" XXR cried. "I know you!"

"You're Motors!" XXL said.

Motors laughed as he got on his bike.

"It's race time, suckas!" He cackled.

He then roared his motorcycle into life and tore down the street.

"Hey, let's chase him!" XXR said.

"Right!" XXL replied.

Then, the two closed their Drivers and opened them again, reverting them back to the chibi Level 10 form.

 **GACHANN!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!**

And as the chibi form appeared, he grabbed a nearby Energy Item to help him along.

 **SPEED UP!**

Ex-Aid then ran down the street, after Motors. Genmu just watched as the two opponents disappeared from sight.

"Just as I thought." He smirked. "Motors was indeed the best choice to use as a distraction."

"Distraction?" Snipe muttered.

"Now that Ex-Aid's out of the way, no one will stand in my way." Genmu declared, weapons appearing in his hands. "I shall reclaim your Gashats."

 **GASHACON SPARROW!**

Genmu then charged at Snipe. Leafa then saw a chance.

"C'mon, follow us." Leafa said.

Then she and Recon moved Archer out of the battle.

Ex-Aid was still chasing after Motors. He was getting away from him even faster.

"I don't remember you being this fast!" Ex-Aid shouted.

"I've leveled up, boi!" Motors cheered. "I'm on a whole new level!"

And with one more twist of the handlebar, Motors disappeared out of sight.

"To a whole new dimension of speed!" He cheered.

Ex-Aid stopped, and grabbed onto his knees, catching his breath.

"Yowza…" He sighed.

Back with Snipe and Genmu, it was a pretty one-sided fight. Genmu was doing a number of damage onto Snipe. He would kick his side, and then he would slash his knee to bring him down. Snipe fired his laser, but Genmu rolled out of the way and only responded with a kick to the face. Genmu then jumped up for a downward slash. But Sinon and Liz came in and kicked Genmu out of the way.

"Now's your chance!" Sinon called.

Snipe scoffed, and only pulled out his Gashat and inserted it into the slot beside the belt.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Snipe gathered his energy, and then he pressed the button on the side again.

 **DRAGO KNIGHT CRITICAL STRIKE!**

Snipe took to the air, and then slashed with his sword arm. And then he fired a huge energy blast with the laser arm, and then finally spewed out a breath of fire towards Genmu. Luckily, Lisbeth and Sinon moved out of the way to avoid the friendly fire. Genmu was thrown back several feet as he rolled away.

"Alright!" Silica cheered.

But that cheer was premature, as Genmu then oozed out black smoke, and then stood back up without a scratch on him.

"Huh?!" Nico uttered. "I get that he's an immortal zombie and everything, but this is just cheating!"

Genmu smiled and just inserted a Gashat into the Sparrow.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

He then got into a battle stance as he prepared for his attack.

 **GIRIGIRI CRITICAL FINISH!**

He then fazed over to the Rider and the players. First, he kicked Liz in the face, sending her into a tree. Then he punched Sinon in the chest several times, and he finished with a slash down her back. Finally, he crouched under Snipe, and the sprung upwards, twirling as well. That gave Snipe several slash marks on Snipe's body. Sinon just fell on her back, while Snipe tumbled backward, thrown out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

Snipe's Gashats all tumbled away from him. Genmu walked over and just picked them up casually.

"With this, Hojo Emu is the only one left with Gashats." Genmu stated.

Silica, Asuna, Poppy, and Nico all got over and helped their partners up.

"And you think you can beat him?" Liz shouted, "He's going to kick your ass!"

Genmu twirled his head over to Liz. He walked over to her and lifted her chin up so he could be face to face.

"I'm the game master." He said once more. "Creating a Gashat to defeat Ex-Aid… is child's play…!"

And with that, Genmu then pixelated away. Ex-Aid rolled up soon after. He cancelled out of his transformation to see what happened.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

"What happened?" He asked, helping up Sinon.

"Snipe lost his Gashats too." Sinon explained.

"No…" Ex-Aid started. "Not him…"

But then, he yelled again, holding his head in pain. Sinon tried to ease him through it, but the pain was just getting worse. Snipe noticed this.

'It's only a matter of time…' He thought.

Later, in Brave's mansion, Archer was lying on the bed again. He looked very disappointed.

"I'm in your care again…" He sighed. "Isn't that pathetic?"

"No…" He said. "This is all Genmu's doing."

"Now, can you tell me what your stress is?" Ex-Aid asked.

"You see, we just got a new President at GENM Corp." Archer explained. "And to save our company from going bankrupt, we decided to hold an in-house competition on game design and concept."

"The pressure is overwhelming…" Archer went on. "But, I thought, I have to do this, for the sake of my team, who supported me all the way."

"Don't worry about a thing, sir!" Ex-Aid assured. "We'll cure you, and then I'll wait so you can play your game!"

Archer smiled weakly.

Meanwhile, in the commons room, Brave was sitting with a cup of tea.

"So now that licenseless doctor lost his Gashats as well…" He sighed.

Leafa had just finished informing Recon about the whole Bugster thing.

"So…" Recon repeated. "These things are viruses that can effect players in and out game?"

"That's basically it." Leafa replied.

Recon then put his hands over his face.

"This…" He sighed. "This is a lot to take in…"

Leafa was about to hold Recon, but she restrained herself.

"Well, we're in quite a pinch, aren't we?" Klein shrugged.

Just then, Kirito and Brave's message boards lit up. The two did not waste a single second after that. They quickly logged out.

"Huh?" Klein started. "Where did they go?"

Asuna knew what she was going to do. She also logged out, followed by Sinon.

Hiro and Kazuto stood up and found a tablet. They connected it to a nearby screen. As the screen powered up, Asuna and Shino also walked in from behind.

"Asuna? Shino?" Kazuto asked.

But there was no time for inquiries, as Taiga soon appeared onto the screen.

"Are you alone?" He asked.

"Yeah." Kazuto replied.

"Do not let Ex-Aid meet Genmu." Taiga ordered.

"Why?" Asuna asked.

"Two reasons." Taiga replied. "The first reason being that he is the only one out of us who still has Gashats."

"If he loses them, we have no means of fighting back." Taiga went on.

"What about the second reason?" Shino asked.

"His body is at his limit." Taiga went on. "You know what I mean."

Shino and Asuna looked confused, but Kazuto and Hiro knew what he was talking about.

"Speaking of his Gashats…" Taiga started.

But he was cut short by Nico jumping in.

"We're taking his Gashats!" She called. "Got it!"

"Hey, don't steal my lines!" Taiga scolded.

The two then argued on until the screen cut out. Hiro and Kazuto stood up and then moved as Asuna and Shino's minds were flooding with questions.

"What did he mean by that?" Shino asked.

"It's nothing you should worry about." Hiro replied, grabbing a quick swig of water.

Kazuto then looked at Hiro.

"We have to tell them." He said. "We can't keep this secret any longer."

Hiro grimaced, but he had no choice. He nodded, and Kazuto quickly turned to Shino and Asuna.

"Emu…" Kirito said slowly. "Has game disease…"

Shino and Asuna gasped quietly.

"Emu?" Shino spoke up.

Hiro quickly shushed them.

"He could still hear you!" He replied.

"We should tell him!" Asuna told them. "That way we could cure him…"

"No." Hiro quickly replied. "He's a doctor of CR. He's proud of his job! If he found out that he had game disease, it would stress him out too much and then…"

"He'll… disappear." Shino concluded.

"That's why I've been trying to get a Gashat." Hiro said. "To save him."

And with that, Hiro put on his AmuSphere back on. Shino did so as well.

"Come on Asuna." Kazuto said.

But he noticed that Asuna was just sitting on a chair.

"Asuna?" He asked.

"Why…?" She said quietly. "Why did you keep this from me?"

Kazuto sat down next to her, and wrapped an arm around her back.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I didn't know what to do before. I thought this was the only was to keep you safe."

Asuna, quietly wimpering, buried her face into Kazuto's shoulder.

Dan was busily typing on his computer. He appeared to be working on something. And with several more pushes of keys, the computer displayed the words COMPLETE. Then, an image popped up. It was a Gashat. It looked liked Pallad's Gashat Gear Dual, but instead of blue, it was maroon, and with two different games.

"It's done…!" Dan decalred.

Pallad, who was sitting behind him, was getting annoyed.

"What's all this about?" He asked. "You just made the sequel games to Taddle Quest and Bang Bang Shooting. Just mashed into one Gashat."

"With this, Ex-Aid is no longer a threat!" Dan started. "And… when all of the Bugster data is gathered and completed… my world will become complete!"

"A world…" He went on. "Where every player becomes a Rider and fights endlessly… it is the next world of survival games!"

Pallad stood up and then walked to Dan with a very serious face.

"I thought I told you I'm going to beat M." He seered.

"I can't wait any longer." Dan replied.

Pallad then grabbed his collar and pulled him forward.

"You ain't going to get him." He said.

Dan then threw Pallad off of him.

"Do not talk back to the game master!" He shouted.

"Both Emu Hojo and Koutarou Nagita created a Gashat without my knowledge." He said. "Gashats are only a product of MY MIND!"

"The same goes for you Bugsters as well." He went on. "You all are nothing but instruments to make dreams a reality. Specifically, _my_ dreams."

Pallad scoffed as he listened on to Dan's babbling.

"I design a game character from scratch…" He started again. "Designing and programming their thought processes, as I will! I am the game master… I am a god!"

Archer was still lying on the ground. But then, he held his throat, and began to pixelate.

"The Bugster is on the move!" Poppy shouted.

"C'mon!" Ex-Aid shouted, bolting out the door.

He ran down the stairs and towards the entrance of the mansion. Along the way, he picked up, Liz, Silica, and Klein. Leafa volunteered to stay behind with Recon. But as Ex-Aid approached the doorm he was stopped by Brave, who stood right in his way. Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon were behind him too.

"I'll do it. Give me the Gashats." Brave ordered.

"Move it." Ex-Aid shot back.

Ex-Aid began to move, but Brave just grabbed his chest and pinned him to a wall.

"You are to stay here!" Brave ordered.

"Why?" Ex-Aid asked. "Does this have anything to do with whatever you're keeping from me?"

Brave buckled, but he kept his grasp on Ex-Aid.

"I think he just wants to help you with the operation!" Asuna replied.

Ex-Aid just threw Brave off of him then.

"I want to return Archer's smile." He said. "I can't leave that to you when you don't even care about the patient!"

"You think I give a flying crap about that?" Brave shot back. "I just want to save the patient right in front of me."

Ex-Aid perked up at what Brave said, but he didn't have time to waste. He ran outside. Brave went after him as well, followed by the rest of the SAO players that have joined him.

Meanwhile, Motors was enjoying his time terrorizing a nearby 1v1 match that was taking place, the crowd has dispersed, the two players that were about to fight were cornered.

"A fight, huh?" He said. "That's another race! Let me join in!"

Just then, a BMX wheel tore through the air and landed straight on Motors's body. He was sent back as Ex-Aid, in his Shakariki Sports Level 3 form, appeared and helped the two players to safety.

"Ex-Aid! Joining the race, are ya?" Motors said.

"Yep! Let's do this!" Ex-Aid smiled.

But he noticed Genmu walked towards them. He already had the BugVisor on, but he had another Gashat in his hand.

"You again?" Ex-Aid started.

Genmu ignored the comment and just looked over to Motors.

"You've served your purpose as decoy, Motors." He told him.

He then turned his attention to Ex-Aid.

"Hojo Emu!" He called. "I shall retrieve your Gashats."

Brave, Asuna and the others just turned up then. They were quickly followed by Snipe and Nico.

"Remember what I told you about not letting them meet?" Snipe asked.

"You think we didn't try to stop them?" Brave retorted.

Nico stepped forward, feeling confident.

"Hey, buddy!" She called. "M's Gashats are ours!"

Genmu only responded with his sinister slasher smile. Nico quickly cowered behind Snipe, to which Sinon rolled her eyes at.

"Ex-Aid! Don't bother with him!" Asuna called.

Ex-Aid ignored that plea, and just pressed the button on the side. All the while, Pallad was off on the sidelines, watching.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

The area changed into a quarry of some kind. Behind Genmu was now a mountain.

Genmu only raised his arm, revealing the new Gashat to them. He twisted the knob, summoning a monster.

"In this game, you take on the role of the Demon King, who must defeat the Hero in order to rule the world." Genmu said. "Oh, and it is Level 50. You cannot defeat it."

Ex-Aid only pulled out his Mighty Brothers XX Gashat in response. He pressed it.

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!**

He then inserted it into the Gamer Driver, pulling out the other two Gashats, and then he opened it up.

 **GASHUNN!**

 **DOUBLE GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!**

Ex-Aid soon became his Level 10 chibi form, and then he charged.

"Eliminate Ex-Aid." Genmu ordered.

The monster nodded and then dived down. It summoned an energy ball and sent it right down onto Ex-Aid's head. The result was an explosion that knocked Ex-Aid several feet and throwing him out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

Ex-Aid tumbled down. Genmu smiled, and sent the monster away.

"No way…" Silica muttered.

"With just one hit?" Liz finished.

Genmu then approached Ex-Aid.

"C'mon!" Kirito spoke up, grabbing his swords.

He and the others than charged towards Genmu. He didn't even look fazed.

"Children…" He sighed apologetically.

He then pressed his Gashat.

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

"Henshin." He said, inserting the Gashat.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP!**

 **DANGER! DANGER! GENOCIDE! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

Genmu changed into his Zombie Gamer form, and quickly made short work of the SAO players. First, he knocked Klein out with a simple strike to his stomach. He then dodged Liz and Silica's double swing of their weapons, and just simply smashed their heads together. He then grabbed Kirito's swords and simply made him stab himself. As for Asuna, he just simply walked to his side and axe-kicked her into the ground. Sinon was simply knee-kicked in the stomach.

Genmu continued over to Ex-Aid, but this time, he was stopped by Motors.

"Hey!" He called. "What the heck did you mean by decoy?"

"Exactly what it means." Genmu replied, pressing the buttons on the BugVisor.

As the standby sounds continued, he then pressed the A button. He didn't even notice Pallad watching.

 **CRITICAL END!**

He jumped up and quickly erased Motors right in front of him with a kick. He then used the BugVisor to absorb his Bugster residue. Now, he made his way over to Ex-Aid without any interruptions.

Back in Brave's mansion, Archer stopped pixelating and gasping. He then stood up slowly. Leafa and Recon quickly went over.

"I'm cured…" Archer whispered.

"Uncle!" Recon cried.

He then gave him a sweet and endearing hug. Leafa smiled. Despite the idiocy Recon has, he is still a genuine guy.

Back to the fight, Genmu, now with the Sparrows in hand, walked over to Ex-Aid menacingly.

"You Riders and Bugsters are merely cogs in my master machine." He stated. "And those SAO Surviors were just an additional tool to help you move along."

He then moved his Sparrow over to Ex-Aid's neck.

"You have all done your jobs." Genmu seethed. "Now, hand over your Gashats."

Ex-Aid grimaced, but was still persistent.

"You'll have to pry them off my body then." He said.

Genmu was about to make a comment, but something happened. A strong force launched Genmu out of Ex-Aid's face and into a pile of tins. Everyone was surprised to see who it was.

"What is the meaning of this…" He growled. "…Pallad!"

Pallad, as Para-DX, in Knock Out Fighter form, was breathing heavily. He was beyond mad right now. He began to walk over to Genmu as Ex-Aid and the others just watched on.

"So you used Motors as bait?" He asked, with his voice shaking. "Just what the hell do you think we Bugsters are?!"

Genmu scoffed, and just stood back up.

"You're the one to talk." He replied. "Didn't you kill your buddy, Revol, a few days ago?"

"It was just part of the game, so I was playing seriously!" Para-DX retorted. "We Bugsters are bound by the rules of our game. We play the game, and we win the game. It's as simple as that!"

Ex-Aid looked on at Pallad. Something seemed different with him.

"You lousy game character!" Genmu roared. "You dare defy the game master?!"

"Y'know." Para-DX responded. "You really have me riled up now!"

Para-DX fired a fire punch, which Genmu dodged by rolling out of the way. But, this was soon followed by a repeating swings of punches from Para-DX. There were at least 50 punches delivered in that short amount of time. And the final punch, launched Genmu 50 feet into the air, and then Para-DX jumped and then slammed one more fist down, sending Genmu straight into the side of the mountain. The good guys were appalled by what they just saw. Genmu stumbled out and limped slowly.

"Do you have any idea of what you're doing now?!" He shouted.

"Yep." Para-DX simply replied. "Actually, I think I know _exactly_ what the fuck I'm doing."

He pulled out his Gashat, and turned the knob twice, selecting the game.

 **PERFECT PUZZLE!**

 **WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?**

"Dai Henshin." He said, pressing the Gashat.

 **DUAL UP!**

 **GET THE GLORY IN THE CHAIN! PERFECT PUZZLE!**

Para-DX turned into his Perfect Puzzle form and gather all of the Energy Items within the area.

"Someone has to put you in your place." He said, beginning to swipe the Energy Items around.

He flipped through them and then selected the three he wanted to go with.

 **MUSCLE UP! MUSCLE UP! MUSCLE UP!**

He then pulled out his Gashat and then turned the knob.

 **KIMEWAZA!**

He then inserted the Gashat back into the holder.

 **DUAL GASHAT!**

 **PERFECT CRITICAL COMBO!**

He charged. Genmu also charged, but that gave him a huge opening. Using that chance, Para-DX landed a huge hit on Genmu's chest, sending him flying and knocking him out of his transformation.

 **ALL CLEAR!**

 **GASHUNN!**

Genmu breathed heavily like a wil animal, while Para-DX sighed and cancelled out of his transformation.

"Man." He smiled. "That. Felt. Good."

The area reverted back to its original setting. Genmu then smiled evilly. He knew what he was about to do.

"You said you wanted to beat Hojo Emu… yes?" He seethed. "Then… consider this… your punishment."

Pallad raised an eyebrow. Genmu turned his attention to Ex-Aid as _Excite!_ begins to play in the background.

"HOJO EMU!" He screamed.

Ex-Aid perked up at the hearing of his RL name.

"Why can you transform into Ex-Aid without the use of the compatibility surgery?" Genmu asked. "How did you create a new Gashat? Why are those headaches of yours happening?!"

"Well…" He continued. "The answer to that is very simple…"

Brave realized what he was about to do. He began to run towards Genmu. Snipe and Pallad also noticed and they began to run forward as well.

"You are Patient Zero!" Genmu declared. "The very first man upon this earth to be infected with the Bugster virus!"

He then cackled evilly as the secret's revealed. Brave and Snipe stopped, knowing that there was nothing they can do now. Pallad simply grabbed Genmu by his neck to shut him up.

"Me… Game disease?" Ex-Aid muttered.

The SAO players stood up and looked at Ex-Aid. He appeared to be trying to deny it.

"N-n-no." ExAid stuttered. "That-that's a lie!"

But, it very was. Ex-Aid then felt something within him. His eyes began to glow red, and his hands were beginning to pixelate in and out. He looked around his body and saw that his entire body was doing the same. Then, with one scream of pain, Ex-Aid's body glowed a bright orange color as the virus was now consuming him. All everyone else could do was watch, while Genmu smiled away.


	27. Final Fantasy XVI Wait

Chapter 27: Final Fantasy XVI… Wait

Ex-Aid woke up suddenly. He had no idea what just happened. The last thing he remembered was Genmu telling him that he had game disease, which had taken a toll on his body. He looked around. He was in his bedroom inside Brave's mansion. As he stood back up, he still had a sharp stinging in his head.

"What was that all about?" Nico asked later.

She then stood up and got to Taiga's office, who was staring out into space.

"Do you know?" She asked.

"Beats me." He replied cooly. "His game disease broke out, that much is obvious though."

Taiga wasn't the only one with these questions. Hiro and the SAO Survivors are at his desk, trying to deduce what happened to him.

"Why didn't the Bugster reveal itself?" Hiro asked.

"Hey, at least he's okay!" Keiko stated.

"Is it, though?" Shino replied. "The Bugster is still inside him. We have to stay on our toes."

"What are you guys talkin' about?" asked a voice.

Everyone looked over and saw Emu.

"Emu?" Rika asked.

"Hey there." Emu greeted.

"You shouldn't be up!" Asuna said. "You get some rest!"

Now, usually, Emu would oblige and go back. But this was different.

"Alright, thanks for the worrying, but I'm fine. Okay, little miss?" Emu laughed, patting Asuna's shoulder.

Emu then turned back to his bed with his AmuSphere, and put it back on.

"He's not even playing, but he's still as M?" Suguha asked.

Everyone got deeply interested in Emu all of sudden. What was going on?

Dan was not happy. He slammed his fist against a wall very angrily.

"Emu Hojo was supposed to vanish…" He growled.

 _Ex-Aid was still experiencing his game disease. But at when the virus was at the point that would usually kill a person, the disease subsided and Ex-Aid fell on the ground unconscientious._

Dan angrily threw some miscellaneous items off his desk. After that small tantrum, he sat down at his computer.

"No one or thing will stand in my way now…" He said silently. "All I need is a little more Bugster data, and my game will be complete…"

He finished typing and then he smiled as the screen displayed something.

"Only six Bugsters remain…" He scowled.

Meanwhile, out of nowhere, it cuts to a random Undine city. In the middle of the city, appears to be a training ground of some kind. Here, Undine warriors trained to become better mages and, subsequently, better fighters. One particular Undine, was significantly showing some lack of combat skill, and she was getting some slack for that.

"Hey! You!" called the drill sergeant. "Front and center!"

The woman quickly ran over to the drill sergeant.

"Out of all the Undines, I've trained, you're showing the least amount of growth!" drilled the drill sergeant.

"I know that sir, but-" The woman began.

"Don't interrupt me!" boomed the drill sergeant. "You better start training on your own!"

"Yes, sir, of course!" The woman said.

Just then, they both began to feel a little pain. The drill sergeant was experiencing something from his neck, but he realized it was just some little kids playing pranks on him. While he was agitated, he shrugged it off.

"Heh." He chuckled. "Kids today…"

The woman was a different story. Her eyes turned from blue to blood red. She then turned to the others that were training. She walked over. They were more heavily built, so they thought it was cute that this tiny little woman was going to try and beat them. But they were sadly mistaken. With one simple punch for each of them, they were thrown several yards from where they used to be. The drill sergeant was impressed. He walked over to compliment her, but he only got a pile-driving punch to the face. The woman then began to walk away. All the while making robotic whirring noises.

Outside Brave's mansion, there was a small field. It is usually used for training purposes. There are wood stems to practice sword strikes, wood slabs to practice magic on, and several monster spawns. There was also a small area for 1v1 combat. That is being used at the moment.

Lis was holding her shield as hard as she can. Ex-Aid was landing hit after hit on her. All she could do was defend and block.

"Alright!" Ex-Aid smiled. "Now for the famous swift strike!"

Ex-Aid then began to twirl his sword like General Grevious. It would often spark the ground, and Lis was starting to lose ground.

"Mou! Ex-Aid!" Poppy shouted from the sidelines. "Stop fooling around!"

Ex-Aid ignored her and continued attacking Lis.

"Ex-Aid…" Silica spoke. "You're not acting like yourself…"

Ex-Aid stopped attacking, and quickly had a chat with Silica.

"Whatcha talking about, half pint?" He smiled. "I'm who I am!"

Ex-Aid then turned back to Lis and landed a combo of strikes.

"Half pint…?" Silica asked.

Leafa, who was watching as well, quickly ducked behind Kirito.

"Hey, Kirito…" She said quietly. "He's scaring me… What's going on?"

"I wish I could answer that…" Kirito replied.

Brave walked up beside them with Asuna.

"Could it be when his game disease broke out, the Bugster took control of his personality?" He theorized.

"Is that possible?" Asuna asked.

As they continued, they were interrupted when Poppy shouted.

"Bugster found!" She called.

"Really, now?" Sinon asked.

Ex-Aid, who currently locked blades with Liz's mace, just threw Lis off of him and skipped over.

"Alright!" He cried. "Now the real game begins!"

"A game?" Sinon asked.

"Well, yeah." Ex-Aid replied. "The Bugster-beating game, right?"

He then placed his hand on Klein's shoulder, shoving him out of the way.

"I ain't losing to nobody." He smirked. "Let's do this!"

And with that, Ex-Aid sprouted his wings and then flew away. Brave and the others also flew after him, while Silica stayed behind to help Liz back up.

"What's gotten into him?" Liz asked, getting up.

"I have no idea…" Silica muttered.

The same Undine woman slowly walked towards a public plaza, where most players would relax and recharge. But, that wasn't their main focus right now. All the players were just looking at the Undine, who was still moving very stiffly and making all sorts of robotic whirring noises.

"Hey, lady!" The Undine drill sergeant called. "This isn't part of the training!"

The woman then stomped her feet, causing a shockwave, knocking all the nearby players off of their feet. Once they recollected themselves, they all cleared the area as the Riders and the SAO gang arrived.

"Is that her?" Ex-Aid asked.

Poppy looked at the woman more closely.

"The Bugster is there!" She cried. "It's only visible to me though!"

"The virus must've evolved a bit further…" Brave admitted.

Just then, Asuna, Kirito, Sinon, and Leafa all landed behind them. Asuna was the first one to notice who it was.

"Wait-" She started. "Siune?"

Brave turned to Asuna.

"You know her?" He asked.

"Well, yes." Asuna replied. "She was a part of a guild called the Sleeping Knights. I kept in touch with her, but I never thought she would be online right now…"

"Well, in any case!" Ex-Aid interrupted. "We got ourselves a patient!"

Siune then turned to face the Riders. Her eyes glowed blood red once more.

"I have taken control of this woman's body." She said, in robotic male voice.

Then, orange blobs consumed her body, and she was transformed. The figure of Siune was replaced by a robot, red and purple in color, and a large gauntlet for the right arm, and a dumbbell for the left arm.

"Systems activating. Level 30." The Bugster beeped.

"Level 30?" Leafa asked.

"Well, would you look at that." Ex-Aid smiled. "It's Gekitotsu Robots's last boss, Gutton!"

He then put on his Gamer Driver and pulled out his two Gashats.

"Time to play then." He smiled.

"Intern, wait!" Brave said, grabbing his arm. "You're in no condition to operate. Give me your Gashats!"

"No way in hell, bro." Ex-Aid said, throwing Brave's grip off of him. "This is my game we're talking here."

He then turned his attention to Gutton and pressed his Gashats.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

He smirked as Gutton rotated his arm around.

"C'mon, let's play!" Ex-Aid smiled, inserting the Gashats.

 **GASHATTO! GASHATTO!**

"Dai Dai Dai Henshin!" He announced, opening the Driver.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **BUTTOBASE TOTSUGEKI! GEKITOTSU PUNCH! GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

Ex-Aid transformed into his Level 2 Rider form, and soon afterwards the small robot split apart and attached its respective parts onto Ex-Aid, giving him access to Level 3.

"I'll clear this with no continues!" He announced.

Ex-Aid began to run towards Gutton. He landed a punch on Gutton's chest, but he responded with an uppercut swing. That sent him into a pile of neatly stacked logs. Ex-Aid tried to gather himself, but Gutton had other plans. He just picked up Ex-Aid and then threw him into a pillar.

"Okay… that hurt!" Ex-Aid groaned.

When he got up, Gutton launched a flurry of punches. Ex-Aid kept on blocking, which is all he could do at the moment.

"This level gap kinda sucks!" He whined.

He just taken one more punch to his chest, which sent him back stumbling. Ex-Aid looked to his right and saw an Energy Item. That's all he needed.

"Maybe…?" He asked.

Gutton charged slowly. Ex-Aid twirled past him, and then began baiting him.

"C'mon!" He taunted. "Come and get me!"

Gutton responded with a ground pound, but Ex-Aid rolled out of the way just in time, and at the same time he got the Energy Item.

 **METALIZE!**

Gutton returned to his punching, but only metal clanking can be heard. Ex-Aid's body turned silver, turning him into iron. After one more punch, Gutton was thrown back. Ex-Aid began to walk forward, cancelling out the Metalize.

"After that, comes this!" He smiled, looking up.

He jumped up and got another Energy Item.

 **MUSCLE UP!**

Ex-Aid then just began punching Gutton. However, this time, Gutton was being pushed back. He kept on blocking, but every punch he received from Ex-Aid was another step backward. And with another punch, he was knocked into a tree. Ex-Aid smirked, and with a several swings of his gauntlet fist, he punched Gutton right through the tree.

"Wham-O!" He cried.

"Wow…" Leafa awed.

"He was just getting beaten a minute ago!" Asuna commented. "What happened?"

"It's simple, miss." Ex-Aid explained. "The best part about games like these is figuring out how to beat stronger opponents!"

Just then, Gutton, who walked over, sat down in front of them.

"Energy levels low. Switching to sleep mode." He said, lying down.

Gutton then lied down onto his back, and flashed a bright yellow light. Then, as the light subsided, Gutton's body was replaced by Siune, who appeared to be unconscientious.

"Siune!" Asuna called.

"She's reverted back!" Leafa cheered.

Ex-Aid sighed, and just silently walked over to Siune's side. First, he slapped her face very lightly. Then, he began to yank on her arm.

"C'mon, Gutton!" He cried. "Is that all you got? Come out and fight!"

Asuna quickly rushed over and shoved Ex-Aid off of her friend. And after throwing his arms up, she quickly closed his Gamer Driver and pulled out his Gashats.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Ex-Aid cancelled out of his transformation, and immediately got disappointed.

"What was that for?" He whined.

"The game's over." Asuna replied.

Ex-Aid scratched this head, and just sat down exasperatedly.

"Aw man…" He groaned. "And we were just getting to the good part…"

Sinon and Leafa carefully lifted up Siune and helped her to Brave's mansion. Asuna followed behind. Brave waited until Ex-Aid came quietly with them.

Siune slowly opened her eyes and stood up. She looked around and saw Asuna sitting by her side.

"Miss Asuna…?" She whispered.

"Siune!" Asuna replied happily.

She scooched over closer, and she gently held her hand.

"I… I don't remember what happened." She said shakily. "What happened to me?"

Asuna breathed in. This was Siune's first exposure to the Bugsters, and while it was public knowledge, none of her friends ever had gotten exposed to it. So, she was anxious to tell her.

"Do you know of the Bugster virus?" She asked nervously.

"Yes." Siune replied. "They announced it several months ago, didn't they?"

"And… well…" Asuna said slowly. "You're infected with it."

Now, Siune's face is usually very much the same in terms of expression, but whenever she does make one, it is very subtle, but you could see her emotion clearly. This was one of those expressions. Siune held her arm steadily.

"It's… not…" She started.

"Oh, don't worry!" Asuna assured. "It is curable!"

Siune sighed. At least that was calming. Asuna rubbed her shoulder. This is the least she could do for her friend.

Back in the commons room, Ex-Aid was just fiddling around with his sword. Brave eyed him suspiciously. Leafa had taken cover behind Kirito, as she was still scared of Ex-Aid's current mindset, while Sinon, Liz, and Silica were sitting as far away as they can. Klein had left, as he had other issues to sort out, but he wished them the best of luck. Poppy continued fly around Ex-Aid and reported back to Brave.

"Pipopapo." Brave said. "What can you make out of this?"

"Nothing, yet." Poppy replied. "I can't detect anything."

Asuna walked into the room carefully. After silently closing the door, she walked over.

"Siune's doing fine. We can ask her some questions now." She told them.

"Thanks." Brave replied, not looking at her.

Asuna turned their attention to Ex-Aid, who was now swinging the sword around.

"Well, if he's a patient, we can cure him if we defeat his Bugster, right?" Sinon asked.

"Right." Kirito replied. "If that's possible though; we don't even know what or who's his Bugster."

"Hey, Blacky!" Ex-Aid called. "I'm fine! So, don't treat me like a patient!"

He then sheathed in his sword, and then stood up to go to the door.

"Just call me when Gutton shows up again, okay?" He asked.

That got everyone's attention. Ex-Aid was usually the first one to give any sort of comfort to the patient as he wants to return their smile. This was new for even them.

"What about the patient?" Silica asked.

"What about her?" Ex-Aid replied.

"Aren't you supposed to be all caring for her?" Liz asked.

Ex-Aid rolled her eyes and turned to Brave.

"That's _his_ job." He said.

Brave looked up at Ex-Aid, who had walked over so that he could see him.

"You can take care of that part, right?" He said, flipping out his Gashat. "All my job is beating the Bugster."

Ex-Aid then began his way to the door. Kirito began to walk after him, but Brave stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. Then, Brave turned around and he walked up to Ex-Aid. He flipped Ex-Aid around and decked him clean in the face, making him fall to the ground and dropping his Gashat. The SAO gang got a bit shocked at that. Ex-Aid groaned and turned around to face Brave.

"What's this about?" He asked.

"Get your act together." Brave said in his most serious voice. "This isn't you: You're supposed to cure the patient, make them smile again!"

Ex-Aid was about to respond, but then he clenched his head. A sharp pain banged into his head very hard, but when Asuna and Liz tried to help him up, the pain stopped, and he just pushed them out of the way.

"I told you: I'm fine!" He shouted.

Brave realized there's no way of getting through, so he just turned to the door himself.

"You're dismissed, intern." He said. "I'm talking to patient. Asuna, you're with me."

"Wait, me?" Asuna asked.

"You know the patient." Brave replied. "She would feel a lot more comfortable."

"Okay…" Asuna replied.

"But don't you not like to do stuff like this?" Sinon asked.

"If the intern could do it, then so can I." Brave replied.

Before he left, he walked over to Ex-Aid's side and picked up his Gashat. Mighty Action X.

"You're no doctor right now." He said before leaving.

As he left the room, Asuna quickly scurried after her.

"Hey! Give that back!" Ex-Aid shouted.

Ex-Aid went after him, but Silica, Liz, and Kirito stopped him.

"So… let me get this straight." Nico said, pacing back and forth in Taiga's office. "If M became the genius gamer because of the Bugster inside him… I lost to the Bugster instead of him?"

"Hell if I know." Taiga replied nonchalantly.

Nico walked over to Taiga, grabbing a chair to sit on.

"What do you want with him, anyway?" She asked.

"It's like I said before." Taiga replied, grabbing a bottle of water. "All I want is his Gashats, that's all."

"Let's say you did that. What's next?" Nico asked.

Taiga stopped and turned back.

"Then all of the Bugsters are one step closer to extinction." He said.

"So…" Nico smirked. "What you're saying is you should be the only one to do just that?"

Taiga didn't respond. He only just walked away as Nico went back to her room.

Ex-Aid was back on the training grounds with Silica, Liz, Sinon, and Kirito. Silica, Sinon, and Kirito were just watching, while Liz was still trying to shield herself from the onslaught that Ex-Aid was bringing upon her. Poppy was also on the side lines.

"Ex-Aid!" She cried "Snap out of it!"

"She's right!" Liz shouted from beneath her shield. "Brave is talking to Siune instead of you! The guy who hates being involved with patients!"

Ex-Aid stopped. But then he shrugged it off.

"'Instead of me', huh?" He whispered. "I don't really care."

He then raised his sword up to Kirito.

"As long as I get to play games, I'm fine." He smiled.

"Looks like I'll have to beat it into you…" Kirito groaned.

Kirito walked over as Liz let him take her place.

"Go easy, okay?" She whispered. "It's still Emu we're dealing with…"

Kirito nodded, but he had other ideas as he unsheathed his swords.

Meanwhile, Brave was standing next to Siune's bedside while Asuna was trying to provide as much comfort as she could.

"To be honest, I'm actually training myself to be a better fighter." Siune explained. "But, after seeing what Asuna and the others could do, I don't think I can match up to them…"

She rubbed her hands together shyly.

"Maybe I'm just not good enough…" She admitted.

Asuna was about to speak, but Brave cut her off.

"You're the one who wanted to train. It's your own will." He told her. "If you're afraid of the result, it just means you lack the resolve."

"Brave!" Asuna whispered loudly. "She doesn't take harsh critism all that well!"

"No, no, Miss Asuna, it's fine…" Siune replied. "That is actually the reason… And now that I'm sick again…"

"Again?" Brave asked with a raised eyebrow.

Asuna quickly shook her head. Brave noticed, and dropped the subject.

"Anyways, how you face your stress is something you have to deal with yourself." Brave continued.

Siune sighed. Asuna saw the chance to speak.

"Don't worry, Siune!" She assured. "We'll have to in ship-shape in no time!"

Siune smiled weakly, but then she clutched her head. She then gasped in pain, prompting Asuna to get away. Once that's done, her eyes glowed blood red. Consumed by orange blobs once again, her body transformed into Gutton. He swung a punch, which Asun dodged and Brave quickly stepped back to.

"Systems rebooted." Gutton replied. "Rendezvous to designated coordinates."

Then, Gutton ran out of the room and jumped out the window. Brave and Asuna went after him after recovering from the initial attack.

Gutton was quite fast, given his slow movements. But when he reached his location, it was rather odd. He had made his way to the entrance hallway of the Dungeon on Floor 27 of New Aincrad. Luckily, there were no players nearby, as this Dungeon was already cleared.

"Objective acquired." He said.

Brave and Asuna quickly ran up behind them. They saw him slowly walk towards the Dungeon doors.

"Why is it here?" Asuna asked.

Brave just put on his Gamer Driver. Asuna looked over as Brave pulled out the Gashat he had taken from Ex-Aid earlier. Brave looked hesitant to use it, but he pulled it up to his face and pressed it.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

The game area spread throughout the area. Asuna was surprised by the game, as she always associated it with Ex-Aid. Gutton turned around and saw Brave and Asuna.

"Enemy located." He said.

"Henshin." Brave replied.

But when he was about to insert it into the Gamer Driver, a hand popped out of nowhere and grabbed the Gashat.

"That's my Gashat you have there, noob." Ex-Aid smirked.

"Don't get in the way of the operation!" Brave ordered.

Ex-Aid turned serious and just threw Brave into Asuna. The two were pinned into the wall. Ex-Aid then put on his Gamer Driver and posed.

"Dai Henshin!" He cried.

He then inserted the Gashat and opened the Driver up.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Ex-Aid turned into his Level 2 Rider form, and then he rubbed his hands. A weapon wheel appeared around him as he grabbed a familiar weapon.

 **GASHACON BREAKER!**

He grabbed the Breaker and swung it around.

"I'll clear this game with no continues!" He shouted.

Ex-Aid then charged at Gutton, who just fired a laser blast. Ex-Aid slashed the beam in half and continued to attack.

"That idiot…" Brave groaned.

He was about to give Ex-Aid a piece of his mind, but Asuna stopped him.

Despite his rash behavior, he was doing well. Ex-Aid was on par with Gutton. They kept on exchanging hits and punches between each other. As they went on, Kirito and the others walked up to them.

"We should help!" Silica called.

But just as she said that, Genmu appeared out nowhere and landed a kick on Ex-Aid's back. Genmu then continued to attack him. First, he kicked him several times in the stomach, and then slashed him horizontally with his Sparrows. Ex-Aid was back into a wall, where Gutton landed several gut punches.

"We have to take the battle somewhere else!" Kirito shouted. "This place is too cramped!"

Liz and Silica nodded. With Asuna, Kirito, Leafa, and Brave, they all sprouted their wings and grabbed everyone. Brave and Kirito grabbed Gutton, Liz and Silica grabbed Ex-Aid, and Asuna and Kirito grabbed Genmu. Then, they all found the portal to get out. They threw them through there, where they landed in yet another populated area. Genmu used this chance to fire several arrows at Ex-Aid and the surrounding players.

"This is just too easy…" Genmu said. "I'll shall now take your Gashats."

He threw his Sparrow aside and pulled out the marron Gashat from before. Brave and the others also made it through the portal, and saw Genmu just in time to twist the knob on the Gashat. That summoned forth the monster from before. The monster floated around as it gathered energy to attack.

"Okay…" Ex-Aid said. "This is going to hurt…"

Just then, a flash image of someone grabbed his Gashat and ejected it out of his Gamer Driver. Then, next to Ex-Aid, stood Brave, with the Mighty Action X Gashat in his hand.

"If so, you could play of game of keep away, right?" He asked.

Genmu gritted his teeth, and seethed with fury.

"Go." He ordered.

The monster obeyed, and charged down at Brave. Luckily, he had some practice in as well. Brave sprouted his wings, and then flew up to the air. The monster floated after him sending energy balls at him. Brave flew to the left, and then to the right, as the monster continued to throw energy balls at him. However, one shot landed straight on his back, sending him to the ground and tumbling near an Energy Item. He noticed it, and then called back to what Ex-Aid did earlier in the chapter.

'If he could do it…' He thought. 'Then so can I!'

The monster roared, and dived down towards Brave. As soon as he was within reach, Brave jumped out of the way as the monster roared past him. And it received the Energy Item.

 **CONFUSION!**

"Confusion?" Liz asked. "The monster's confused now?"

Leafa and Asuna quickly took positions and casted a protective barrier in front of them and Ex-Aid.

The monster has now lost any sort of control. It shot out energy balls in a scattering direction, landing on nearby buildings and players, who had hidden. The monster then roared down to Genmu and Gutton, and while Gutton was blown away, Genmu tried to block for as long as he could. Then, with one final push, the monster exploded and Genmu was thrown back, losing grip of the Gashat. The Gashat flew into the air, and Asuna took the chance to snatch it out of the air. Brave landed on the ground with a thud, and Asuna quickly got to heal him.

"Genmu's Gashat: Get!" Poppy cried.

As Brave was getting healed, Asuna quickly placed the Gashat onto Brave's open hand. He looked up at her with a confused look.

"What's this?" He asked.

"Use it." Asuna replied.

Asuna had finished healing. Brave stood up as Genmu began chuckle.

"I see… Well played, doctor!" He cried. "However, that Gashat Gear Dual β is a Level 50 Gashat!"

"A mere Level 5 novice like you could never master it, let alone control it!" He laughed.

Brave had a nonchalant face, and he just put his Gamer Driver back on.

"Let's test that theory of yours." He said.

He raised the Gashat and then turned the knob to the right.

 **TADDLE FANTASY!**

The monster from before appeared again, but not as an enemy, but as an ally. It flew around Brave, spewing out a cloud of magic behind it.

 **LET'S GOING! KING OF FANTASY!**

Brave waited a bit more, as the monster continued to fly around him.

 **LET'S GOING! KING OF FANTASY!**

"Henshin." He said quietly.

He then inserted the Gashat into the Driver.

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

Brave then opened up the Driver to level up!

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **TADORU, MEGURU! RPG! TADDLE FANTASY!**

Brave transformed into his Level 2 Rider form, and shortly after, the monster plopped itself on top of Brave, giving him a new body armor, face mask, and a cape that flew down his back like a black, inky, waterfall.

"Brave… Level 50…!" Asuna whispered.

But something felt off. Brave held his body, and was also grunting in pain. And with one final gasp, his eyes turned red, and he turned to Ex-Aid and the SAO players.

He swished his cape, and huge cloud of magic dust flew everywhere. And those clouds formed into Bugster mooks with magical cloaks and pitchforks.

"Hiro!" Asuna called out.

"Ah, mou…" Ex-Aid groaned.

"Everyone!" Kirito shouted, summoning his swords. "Get ready!"

The Bugster mooks charged, and began attacking the players. There weren't doing much, but they were in overwhelming numbers.

Genmu couldn't help but feel happy.

"So… it took control of him." He chuckled.

Brave stood there for a bit, but then, he clenched a fist. Genmu was surprised to see that.

"Don't… lump me… together… with that… intern…!" Brave struggled to say in a distorted voice.

That's when all of the Bugster mooks stopped attacking. They were on top of Kirito and Ex-Aid, were about overwhelm Liz and Silica, and some groups had Asuna, Sinon and Leafa over there heads. When they all stopped, they just dropped them onto the ground.

Brave opened his hands and raised his hands slowly.

"I'm… the best… doctor…" He began.

"In the world!" He shouted.

He swished his cape again, facing Genmu and Gutton. All of the Bugster mooks had disappeared. His eyes began to faze in and out between yellow and red as magic aura oozed out of his body.

"Nothing will stand in my way of fulfilling my duty!" He continued on with the same distorted voice. "I have the resolve to do my job of saving lives!"

"Resolve…" Ex-Aid whispered.

"As an SAO Survivor… and as a doctor…" Brave continued. "That's what it takes…"

He swished his cape forward and then backward.

"To be entrusted with life!" He cried, with his eyes shining bright yellow.

 **TADDLE FANTASY!**

And with that one declaration, that aura disappeared and Brave stood triumphantly with his newly acquired power of Level 50.

"Doctor…" Ex-Aid whispered again.

Then, the sharp pain in his head returned. He clutched his head as he fell to the ground. And surprisingly, Leafa was the one to get to him. Ex-Aid cancelled out of his transformation and then the pain had stopped.

"Huh…?" Ex-Aid said. "Where am I…?"

"Ex-Aid… have you returned to normal?" Leafa asked.

Brave took a quick glance at Ex-Aid, and then spoke to Asuna.

"Asuna." He called.

"Hm?" She replied.

"Get the intern out of here." He ordered. "I'll finish this."

Asuna nodded, and together, she and Leafa helped Ex-Aid out of the battle area. Silica, Sinon, Liz, and Kirito also exited with them. Genmu was still stunned by what just transpired.

"He's… controlling the might… of the Demon King?!" He spluttered.

Brave then raised his hands to make his signature stance.

"We will now begin Bugster excision." He said.

He then stretched his hands to his side, emitting a magical aura. The aura formed into the same Bugster mooks, and they began to attack Genmu and Gutton, however, Gutton punched them all towards Genmu, as he charged towards Brave.

Brave only responded by stretching out his hand. Gutton stopped moving, as he found himself flying towards a wall. Brave then waved his hand towards a pillar, and that sent Gutton into one of the pillar, demolishing it instantly. He then waved his hand again, sending Gutton flying into a nearby field by some ruins. Brave silently floated over. Once he landed, he walked over. Genmu jumped and slashed, but Brave simply fazed through it.

"If you insist on using my items, two can play at that game." He growled.

A weapon wheel appeared around him and he grabbed the weapon he was looking for.

 **GASHACON SWORD!**

Genmu then charged with both the Sword and the Sparrow in hand. He first slashed and then fired the Sparrow. Brave quickly dodged them effortlessly. Then, Gutton threw a punch by his side, getting his attention. Genmu saw the chance and slammed the Sword down. Brave noticed the feeling, and just by looking back, he summoned a protective barrier around him to block the attacks. Genmu was thrown off when he tried to fire the Sparrow. Gutton threw a punch, but Brave avoided the attack with a swift backward spin. And with one eye glow, he emitted a force that threw Gutton towards Genmu. Genmu just grabbed Gutton and just tossed him out of the way. After recovering by oozing out the black smoke, Genmu braced himself for another attack. Gutton rotated his gauntlet arm, and the two charged. Brave swished his cape, and he teleported behind them. He then wrapped his fist around the cape and sent out several drill punches towards the duo. Gutton was thrown back by only a few punches, but Genmu deflected most of them. He then fired the Sparrow, but Brave summoned a barrier again. And after that, Brave opened a magic hole that fired several projectiles at Genmu. This time, Genmu was thrown back. But he landed on his feet.

All the while, Asuna and the others were watching it all go down.

"Okay. That's cool." Liz admitted.

"This is crazy…" Asuna whispered.

After gathering himself again, Genmu pulled out two Gashats and inserted them into the Sword and Sparrow.

 **TADDLE QUEST! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Genmu used the Sparrow to summon the dragon of the game, and then he got into a battle stance.

 **TADDLE DRAGO KNIGHT CRITICAL FINISH!**

Brave swished his cape as he saw Genmu with the Sword.

"That's my scalpel." He said. "If you don't mind, I'll be taking that back now."

He closed up the Driver.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

After gathering energy, he opened the Driver back up.

 **GACHANN!**

 **TADDLE CRITICAL SLASH!**

Genmu slashed and sent the dragon towards Brave, and Gutton fired several laser blasts, but they all dissipated within Brave's emission of magic aura. His arms turned into magic blades. And with one glow from his eyes, he charged. He slashed Genmu, sending him out of the way. He dropped both the Taddle Quest and the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashats. Then, he went forGutton. He first slashed him right, then the left, and to finish it off, he finally slashed him across in an X-Shape. Gutton stopped moving, and sparked insanely. Then, he exploded into a cloud of smoke.

 **VICTORY!**

 **GAME CLEAR!**

When the smoke was gone, Siune fell on her knees and fell over unconscientious. Brave just picked up the two Gashats that Genmu dropped. Speaking of which, he was breathing heavily, only using the BugVisor to absorb the Bugster residue left by Gutton.

"Looks like I underestimated your resolve…" He growled as he disappeared.

Brave scoffed. He closed his Driver and pulled out the Gashat.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

But suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. While it was only for a moment, it was still painful enough to notice. Once he lived through it, he put the Gashats away and made his way over to Siune. He then lifted her up bridal style and walked away. From behind some trees, Snipe and Nico were watching. Snipe was worried.

'Looks like Mr. Surgeon is overexerting himself…' He thought.

Brave looked over Siune's body. Once he was done, he stood up.

"The operation is finished." He replied. "You're cured."

Siune stood up.

"Thank you." She smiled.

"I will do my best in training!" She said with gusto in her voice. "Just like your determination, Dr. Kagami."

Brave slightly blushed at this, but he didn't make it too visible. Siune then thought of something.

"If you don't mind, I would like to invite you to a dinner." She requested.

Brave blushed again, so he quickly turned away.

"Sorry, but I make an effort not to involve myself with patients." He quickly said.

Then, he began to walk away. Siune bowed as a gesture of thanks, and she also said something.

"Send Asuna my regards!" She called.

Brave walked on and stopped by a nearby rock. He clenched his chest hard. The pain was still lingering. He then noticed the others with Ex-Aid slowly walking towards.

"Brave." Sinon said. "Ex-Aid's back to normal."

Ex-Aid scratched the back of his head, and then he apologized.

"I'm so sorry!" He cried. "I have no idea… what happened to me…"

Brave just shrugged it off and just tossed Ex-Aid something. It was the Mighty Action X Gashat.

"You'll have to train your mentality." Brave criticized. "I believe Asuna can train you with that."

And with that, Brave logged off. Ex-Aid clutched his Gashat. He was going to get better. Kirito gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder as the others smiled at him.

From afar, Pallad, who was strangely absent for the entire chapter, observed Ex-Aid, saying only one thing with a smile.

"Welcome back… Emu."


	28. Scramble All Fighters!

Chapter 28: Scramble All Fighters!

 _ **Ex-Aid Online**_

"I've seen some scary things in my life…" Snipe said lethargically. "But this… this takes the cake."

He then fell on his knees, using his hands as a support to face the ground. Behind him, Nico was happily stretching.

"Man, that Dungeon was fun to clear!" She smiled.

She sheathed her sword away, and looked down her item menu.

"Wow! These are some good drops!" She smiled.

"I rushed all this way because you said it was a Bugster…" Snipe muttered, looking around. "But there's nothing here!"

"Well, you were so mopey that you lost your Gashats, I thought this might cheer you up." Nico retorted.

"More like you cheered yourself up." Snipe shot back. "Now that you know Ex-Aid has game disease, you don't have to dump your anger on him anymore."

Nico frowned and walked forward to face Snipe.

"You sure you want to talk back at me?" Nico asked. "Unless…"

Snipe stopped her right there. During the time in that Dungeon, while Nico attacked up front, Snipe had been supporting from the back. Mostly it was for support, but it was for another reason. When they entered the first time, the first thing Snipe had come in contact with was a not-so-subtle looking ghost. He literally jumped at the sight, and as he turned around, ghosts started to appear left and right.

"You want me to tell everybody that your afraid of ghosts~!" Nico teased as she skipped away.

Snipe got up to go after her, but then, someone blocked his way. Strangely, it was Recon.

"It's hopeless…" He sighed as he also fell on his knees.

Just then, his face had static with the color of orange. Snipe and Nico both noticed this, and they moved Recon to safer location.

Ex-Aid was standing very still in a garden full of flowers. Brave had his Gamer Driver on, and Asuna, Poppy, Sinon, Liz, and Silica were behind. The Kirigayas will be online sometime later today. But at the moment, this was an important moment. Brave pulled out his Gashat and pressed.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

As the Game Area and the Energy Items spread throughout the area, Ex-Aid closed his eyes, in the risk of his Bugster coming out. But even after waiting a couple of minutes, the Bugster didn't come out. The Energy Items disappeared and the Game Area dissipated.

"The Bugster won't just come out, huh?" Liz asked.

Brave put his Gashat away, and Ex-Aid slowly approached him.

"I'm sorry for taking your time, just to cure me…" He apologized.

"There's no need for an apology." Brave replied. "I'm just doing this because it would tarnish my reputation if I just left you in your condition."

Ex-Aid rubbed his arm sheepishly.

"So, the reason I change whenever I play games is because of my Bugster…?" He asked.

And, quietly, he added, "I'm scared…"

Poppy flew over and sat on his shoulder.

"Don't worry!" Liz assured, punching his other shoulder. "We'll cure ya, just you wait!"

Ex-Aid felt a bit happier as he has some company to make him feel safer, but it was still not enough.

Just then, Poppy yelled.

"Bugster found!" She called.

Brave put his stuff away and ran out of the garden. Followed by the girls of SAO, and lastly Ex-Aid.

"Five more…" Dan growled. "Five more Bugsters… and once that is done-"

"Kamen Rider Chronicle… will be complete… right?" Pallad finished.

Dan turned around from his computer and saw Pallad sitting on a chair. He scowled at him.

"Pallad." He said. "You've got some guts coming back here."

"Well, I told you I'm going to beat M, but you didn't listen." Pallad chuckled. "Someone had to beat it into you."

Dan leaned back on his chair, unimpressed.

"Do you really want to go against me?" He asked. "You were looking forward to this, after all."

"Oh, hush." Pallad said. "You're going to finish this regardless of what happens to me, right?"

Pallad and Dan had a short glaring competition before Pallad began to walk away.

"But, imagine that though; Brave getting to Level 50!" He commented.

And, in an echo, he added. "He just might be a bit fun to play with…"

Dan rolled back to his computer and began to work again.

Nico tapped her foot annoyingly, waiting for Ex-Aid's company. When she saw them, she was annoyed.

"You took your sweet time getting here!" She said. "You should get here within five minutes!"

"Oh, hush!" Sinon said.

Brave saw Snipe observing Recon.

"Wait, Recon?" Silica asked.

"So, what's he infected with?" Brave asked.

"It's Vernier." Snipe replied. "Jet Combat's Bugster."

Recon slowly looked up.

"Wait, I'm infected?" He asked panically.

"Hey, hey, cool it, kid!" Nico said. "Girls don't like wimps, y'know."

That sent something to him. With that one statement, Recon began to yell and grunt in pain, as the Bugster took over his body. Once done, his eyes glowed blood red, and he stood up.

"Commencing attack!" He replied.

Then, orange blobs took over his body, and his body was replaced by a figure with a jet turbine engine for a right arm, a missle launcher for the left arm, a machine gun mounted on the right shoulder, and wings on the back. This was Vernier.

Brave put on the Gamer Driver, and pulled out the Gashat Gear Dual β.

"I'll do the operation." He said.

"Hold it." Snipe interrupted. "Level 50 Gashats are too much for you."

He put his hand forward to take it.

"Hand it over." He demanded.

"Your presence is a no thank you, licenseless doctor." Brave replied coldly.

He then turned the knob upward.

 **TADDLE FANTASY!**

 **LET'S GOING! KING OF FANTASY!**

The monster appeared and it flew atop Brave. Snipe rolled out of the way to avoid getting hit by his magic aura.

 **LET'S GOING! KING OF FANTASY!**

"Proceeding to Level 50." He said. "Henshin."

Brave inserted the Gashat in, and then he opened the Driver up.

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **TADORU, MEGURU! RPG! TADDLE FANTASY!**

Brave transformed into his Level 2 Rider form, and then the monster attached itself on top. Brave's armor and cape appeared once more.

"We will now begin Bugster excision." He said.

He stretched his hands and magic aura blasted out of him. Soon, Bugster mooks with magical cloaks and pitchforks appeared. With that, they all charged at Vernier. Brave swished his cape back, and he began to walk forward. Ex-Aid walked up behind.

"C'mon, get in there!" Liz griped.

"Right!" Ex-Aid replied.

He pulled out his Gashat, but then he stopped. He slowly put it back down.

"Hey, you okay?" Liz asked again.

"C'mon…" Whined a voice. "Get on with it, Emu."

Everyone saw Pallad was sitting by a rock. He was smiling away.

"Pallad…" Asuna whispered.

Pallad pulled out his Gashat and shook it.

"Let's make it two-on-two." He suggested. "That's fair, right?"

"No." Ex-Aid replied.

Everyone saw that he was shaking. Snipe was the first to notice this.

"Then give me the Gashat." He ordered.

"Hey, he just can't give it to you!" Sinon retorted.

Meanwhile, Brave had just finished slashing Vernier. He then summoned several needle-like sharp blades and fired them at him. Vernier was thrown back as he took major damage.

"Received heavy damage…" He groaned. "Returning back to base!"

Vernier reformed back into Recon, who was groaning. Ex-Aid and the others took this chance to help him. Quickly, Silica and Liz lifted him up and flew out with Asuna and Ex-Aid flying behind. Pallad sighed as he watched them fly away.

"I'll prevent further infections." Brave declared. "Pallad. I'll eliminate you."

Pallad, while not worked up, smiled at the sight.

"Alright." He chuckled. "You better be worth my time."

He put the Gashat by his face and turned the knob downwards.

 **PERFECT PUZZLE!**

 **WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?**

"Henshin." He said, pressing the Gashat.

 **DUAL UP!**

 **GET THE GLORY IN THE CHAIN! PERFECT PUZZLE!**

Pallad soon became Para-DX in his Perfect Puzzle form. He put the Gashat by his side, and he got ready for an attack.

Brave responded by summoning the same Bugster mooks from before. He sent the army forward as Para-DX received them from blow by blow. After fending off one more mook, he raised his hand upward and made the entire army disappear. Brave saw his chance. He slashed Para-DX, sending him backward. Para-DX went for a punch, but Brave dodged it, giving him another chance to slashed him in the back. Para-DX then saw an Energy Item. He dodged Brave's attack to get it.

 **RUBBERIZE!**

Brave slashed, but the Para-DX's body became malleable. Every time he would land a strike, Para-DX's body would go along with the shape of the slash. Brave solved this problem by sending a cloud of magic aura towards him. That cancelled out its effects, making Para-DX's body solid again.

As the two continued on fighting, Nico and Snipe watched it all go down.

"Wow, he's doing pretty fine, seeming as he's taking on this Pallad guy." Nico commented.

"Just how much longer he could keep this up is the question." Snipe observed.

Sinon, who had stayed behind, was interested.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Well… using that Gashat took a lot out of him the last time." Nico replied.

Brave slashed Para-DX a few more times, then, placing the blade on his shoulder, he slamed the Sword down, getting Para-DX to his critical health. Breathing heavily, Para-DX gathered some Energy Items and collected the two he needed.

 **RECOVERY! RECOVERY!**

"Alright! Now we're talking here!" Para-DX smiled.

He pulled out his Gashat and twisted the knob upward.

 **KNOCK OUT FIGHTER!**

 **THE STRONGEST FIST! ROUND 1! ROCK AND FIRE!**

"Dai Henshin!" He said, pressing the Gashat.

 **DUAL UP!**

 **EXPLOSION HIT! KNOCK OUT FIGHTER!**

Para-DX changed into his Knock Out Fighter form, and then he swung his arm around.

"Let's do this." He smiled.

He then began to send Brave a swirl of punches. Brave blocked the first couple, but Para-DX landed a lucky critical hit on his chest, sending him back. Para-DX then sent a firestrike, but Brave blocked with a barrier. He tightened the grip on his Sword, but then, the pain from his chest returned. He had to take it, but not in time to block Para-DX's attacks. First, he punched him the abdomen, making Brave lose his footing and weapon. He then punched him upward, knocking him back. And finally, he went for one clean punch to the face. But strangely, he stopped.

"Looks like you can't handle Level 50 yet." He said.

Brave grunted, and cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

Para-DX shrugged and walked away.

"Let's play together again some time." He said as he disappeared.

Sinon quickly rushed over to Brave's side, as Snipe also followed. Nico stayed back. While Sinon tried to get Brave to wake up, Snipe just picked up the Gashat Gear Dual β he had dropped.

"I warned you." Snipe scolded. "This is too much."

Brave glared at Snipe before going unconscientious. Snipe then looked at Sinon.

"Bring him to my place." He said.

Ex-Aid, Poppy, Asuna, Silica, and Liz were in the commons room. At this point, Kirito had joined. Leafa was somewhere else in Sylph territory to sort something out.

"What happened to you back there?" Asuna asked.

"I was scared." Ex-Aid replied. "What if the Bugster took over me when I transformed again…?"

Asuna walked over and gave him a reassuring pat on the back.

"In any case, let's talk to the patient." Kirito said. "You're all about making them smile, right?"

With that, the three began to walk towards the room where patients are kept. Silica and Liz decided to sit this one out. They opened the door, and found Recon sighing depressingly.

"Recon?" Kirito asked.

"Kirito…" Recon replied.

"So, what's the source of your stress?" Ex-Aid asked.

"Well… I… uh…" Recon muttered.

"It's Leafa, isn't it?" Kirito answered for him.

Everyone just turned to Kirito when he said that answer.

"How did you know?" Recon asked.

"You're like an open book, mate." Kirito chuckled. "Alright, out with it. What's up?"

Recon sighed, so he stood up on the bed.

"Well… the fact of the matter is…" Recon explained. "I finally mustered up the courage to ask out Leafa!"

"But… when I actually thought about doing it…" He went on. "It's too much pressure!"

"If that's the case, why were you at a Dungeon?" Poppy asked.

"Well, doing that kind of stuff usually clears my head." Recon answered. "But, it only got me this…"

Recon sighed again. Ex-Aid tried to understand.

"I don't really think you have to force yourself-" He started.

"You're just going to ask her out, right?" Poppy then roared in her most serious voice.

She floated right in front of Recon's face.

"If you want to make her yours…" She roared. " **Man the hell up!** "

Ex-Aid quickly grabbed Poppy and stuffed her into his pocket. He then led both Kirito and Asuna out of the room.

"What should we do?" He asked. "I'm not an expert in this kind of thing…"

"I… have an idea…" Kirito said. "But I don't think Asuna's going to like it."

"Hm?" Asuna muttered.

To make a long story short, Kirito asked Asuna to go out with Recon for the day, so his stress would go down a bit. And surprisingly, she was very cool with it. So, for the entire day, Asuna hung out with Recon for the entire day. And she had to admit it herself, she did have a fun time.

To end the day off, the two decided to have a dinner. It was really good-looking dinner at that.

"Wow!" Asuna smiled. "I must say, Recon, you know your way around this game!"

Recon rubbed his head and blushed.

"Thank you…" He said.

The two happily enjoyed eating their meal together.

"Recon?" Asuna asked. "Could you pass me that sauce?"

Recon obliged, and grabbed the sauce for her, but in doing so, he tripped, dropping the sauce all over Asuna's face. Recon panicked, and tried to wipe it off, but in doing so, he fell over the table.

After that fiasco, they were outside of the place they were having their dinner in. Asuna was still wiping off her face, but Recon was in an anime depression with a shadow glooming over him.

"It's over…" He whispered. "I can't ask her out at this rate…"

Asuna tried to do her best to cheer him up.

"I-, it's okay, Recon!" She assured. "Accidents happen!"

Recon couldn't see it though. But then, Recon began to grunt in pain and his eyes glowed blood red.

"If I bombard this Leafa girl, I shall be complete!" Recon shouted in a different voice.

Then, Recon sprouted his wings and flew away towards the general vicinity where Leafa was. Asuna chased after him, sending a message.

Brave woke up with a startle. His upper clothing was laid nicely on the side, and his whole upper was bandaged. Sinon was by his side.

"Brave!" She said, walking beside him.

"What happened?" Brave asked.

They saw Nico by the door, grinning

"Wakey, wakey." Nico teased.

"Did you do this?" Brave asked Sinon.

"No." Sinon replied. "He did."

Enter Snipe, remaining as cool as he is.

"This isn't like you." He commented. "I thought you were the fan avoiding "unnecessary risks", Mr. Surgeon."

"Shut it." Brave shot back. "Where am I, anyway?"

"We're at his place." Sinon explained. "This is place where we could treat you."

Just then, Brave and Sinon's message boards popped up with an emergency.

 _Bugster broke out!_

 _Help!_

 _-Asuna_

Brave began to move towards the door, but the pain in his chest weighed him down. Sinon was there to support him.

"Easy, easy…" She said.

Snipe loomed over the two with a condescending look.

"A patient should just lie down and shut up." He told them.

He then reached into his pocket and pulled out the Gashat Gear Dual β.

"I'm using this." He said.

"This Gashat is two games in one." He went on. "One is the one you used, and the other… is mine."

"Who would've thought your games would be the one to share a Gashat?" Nico chimed in, sitting on the bed next to Brave.

"Genmu improved upon our old Gashats to make this." Snipe explained. "So, in other words, I hold half the ownership of this."

Brave winced, and he just threw Sinon off of him to approach Snipe.

"You think it's all over?" He demanded. "Just because you treated me, you think it's all forgiven now?"

He then grabbed Snipe's collar and got really angry.

"You were the one who let Yuko die!" He yelled.

Snipe only scoffed at the sight.

Leafa was talking to some of her friends now. She was going on for some time now.

"Leafa! Look!" one of her friends yelled.

Leafa turned around and saw Recon running towards her.

"Him again?" another one griped.

"I got this." Leafa said.

She stood up and faced Recon.

"Hey!" She called out. "I don't know why you're here, but you better leave!"

Recon did stop at that, but didn't leave.

"He's so dopey!" another one of her friends commented.

Just then, Recon looked at Leafa interestingly.

"Hey… Recon?" She asked. "You okay?"

Suddenly, Recon's body was consumed by orange blobs, and Vernier soon took his place. Leafa was taken aback by this site, and her friends quickly ran away. Leafa drew her sword to retaliate, but Vernier fired a flurry of bullets that even she couldn't deflect. A couple bullets hit her leg, so she collapsed on one leg and used her sword as a support. Vernier pointed his missile launcher at her face.

"Once I bombard you, I shall be complete!" He declared.

But, he was interrupted. Kirito popped in and slashed his back. Vernier turned around, only to be met with a kick from Asuna. Ex-Aid walked up from behind, along with Silica and Liz. Vernier, in response, took to the air and fired missiles from the sky. Liz was able to defend most of it off with her shield, but they were still knocked back.

"Asuna! Everyone!" Leafa cried. "What's with that Bugster?"

"Long story!" Silica replied.

Ex-Aid pulled out his Mighty Brothers XX Gashat, but then again, he stopped. He was still afraid of what might happen.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

Suddenly, the area changed into a quarry, with a lot of open spaces and and piles of gravel. They then saw who was next to Vernier. Genmu, with the BugVisor on, was smiling evilly.

"Do you really want to use it?" He asked. "If the virus broke out again, you might never be able to go back."

Ex-Aid looked at the Gashat fearfully, so he set it down on his knee. Genmu was delighted by this sight.

"You've lost your will to fight; you are no longer a threat." Genmu said. "I shall now retrieve your Gashats."

He pulled out his Gashat and pressed.

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

"Henshin." He said.

He inserted the Gashat and pressed the button.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP!**

 **DANGER! DANGER! GENOCIDE! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

Genmu changed into his Zombie Gamer form, and soon he growled at the SAO players. A weapon wheel appeared as he reached out for the weapon he needed.

 **GASHACON SPARROW!**

He aimed it at Ex-Aid. Lis got her shield in position and waited for an attack. Ex-Aid wanted to pressed the Gashat, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Okay." Snipe's voice said. "This is pathetic, even by your standards, Ex-Aid."

Both groups turned to see Snipe and Sinon walking in. Genmu chuckled at their entrance.

"Says the man without any Gashats." He said.

Snipe smirked and reached into his pocket, pulling out the Gashat Gear Dual β.

"Then what's this I have here?" He asked.

"Why do you have that?" Asuna asked.

"I assume you took it from Kagami Hiro?" Genmu asked.

"Something like that." Sinon replied.

"Why did you let him go?" Nico asked.

Brave was sitting on the bed, still recovering. But he still remembered what transpired.

" _A single mistake from us can be fatal to our patients!" Brave told Snipe._

" _You haven't failed yet, Mr. Surgeon…" Snipe replied. "And besides, how can you perform an operation in your condition?"_

 _Brave let go of Snipe, and sat back on the bed._

" _I have nothing left to lose; You have yet to fail." Snipe declared._

" _And that's why I keep saying this: The world needs only one Kamen Rider, and that should be me." He finished._

 _With that said, Snipe then left to fight. But before he did, he had Sinon go with him, and had Nico stay as caretaker._

"The full disclosure is that I haven't forgiven nor accepted him." Brave said. "I just chose the most effective means of taking care of the Bugster."

Nico shrugged off and smirked.

"So, you chose the best way to solve a puzzle, huh?" She said. "You're getting pretty games, sir!"

"Shut it, girl." Brave shot back. "This is just a doctor's diagnosis."

Snipe glared at Genmu.

"Do you think you can control Level 50?" Genmu asked. "I hold no responsibility if you don't, just like 5 years ago."

"Back then, I had no idea what I was getting myself into." He said. "And thanks to that and the Proto Gashats, I've become what I am now."

He then raised his Gashat up to his face.

"I think-, no, I will handle the power." He declared. "The current me."

He then put on the Gamer Driver and turned the knob of the Gashat downward.

 **BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!**

Then, a small battleship emerged above Snipe, and it flew around him slowly.

 **I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP!**

 **I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP!**

"Henshin!" He called, inserting the Gashat.

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

He then opened the Driver up.

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **SCRAMBLE DA! SHUTSUGEKI! HASSHIN! BANG BANG SIMULATION! HASSHIN!**

Snipe transformed into his Level 2 body. Then, the battleship split apart to fit Snipe's body. The bow of the ship split into two as they arm gauntlets. The rest of the ship flipped around to fit onto his torso. Thus, his new armaments gave him AA guns on his shoulder, upper arm, and his gauntlets.

At first, Snipe struggled to keep the power in check, but then, with a yelp, Snipe handled the power.

"Snipe… Level 50…!" Sinon uttered.

Genmu scoffed at the sight, but Vernier took off to the air.

"Deploying reinforcements!" He shouted.

Then, smaller fighter planes flew from his back and began firing at Snipe and his immediate surroundings. Sinon took cover, but everyone else took the front of the blow. Ex-Aid was thrown, losing grip of his Gashat.

"Mission start." Snipe stated after taking the first wave of attacks.

Snipe then began to fire on all of the fighters above. He was taking down fighter after fighter, as they all smoked and crashed onto the ground. As the numbers dwindled, a radar appeared on his left eye, giving him an exact count of how many targets are left. And with that said, he fired once more, and every fighter was shot out of the sky. Even Vernier, who crashlanded, consumed in an explosion along with Genmu.

Ex-Aid recovered, and saw his Mighty Brothers XX Gashat. He reached out to it, but stopped. He was still afraid.

"Ex-Aid." Snipe said, walking up to him. "If you're going to just sit there, leave your Gashats and beat it."

Ex-Aid thought about what he wanted to do. Two very controversial and mind-bending quotes came to be.

" _If the virus broke out again, you might never be able to go back." – Genmu_

" _This isn't you: You're supposed to cure the patient, make them smile again!" – Brave_

"Just sit there only caring about yourself and smiling by yourself." Snipe said.

That was it. That's what Ex-Aid needed to get back in.

"I don't want that." He said.

Snipe stopped and looked at Ex-Aid. The SAO gang also watched.

"I… am a doctor!" Ex-Aid declared.

He then grabbed his Gashat and ran in front of Snipe. He put on his Gamer Driver and pressed the Gashat.

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!**

Ex-Aid posed, and then he inserted the Gashat into the Driver.

"Henshin!" He called.

 **DOUBLE GASHATTO!**

He then opened the Driver up.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!**

Ex-Aid turned into his Level 10 chibi form, but he didn't stay long in that form as he closed the Driver.

 **GACHANN!**

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai…" He started. "Henshin!"

He then opened the Driver back up.

 **ORE GA OMAE DE! OMAE GA ORE DE! WE ARE! MIGHTY, MIGHTY BROTHERS! HEY! DOUBLE X!**

Ex-Aid then split up into his two Mighty Brothers XX counterparts, XXL and XXR.

"You got over your fear…" Genmu growled.

Then, XXR and XXL quickly did a fist bump and then charged at Genmu. The two exchanged punches and kicks with him, and XXR quickly grabbed a weapon to help along.

 **GASHACON KEYSLASHER!**

XXR and Genmu quickly locked blades, but XXL used that chance to quickly kick Genmu off of him. Snipe saw this all from the back, and slowly walked in. As this went on Vernier took the chance to take to the air and fire a bullet storm from the sky. But he was quickly denied when Snipe shot him down.

"Pay attention to who you're fighting here." Snipe said.

He then closed his Driver.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

Then, slowly, all of the cannon barrels slowly rotated and adjusted themselves to target Vernier. Once all cannons were in position, he opened his Driver back up.

 **GACHANN!**

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FIRE!**

And then, with all targets laid onto Vernier, Snipe fired all cannons. The recoil sent him back a few feet, but Vernier exploded. His figure was taken by Recon, who fell over unconscientious.

 **MISSION COMPLETE!**

 **GAME CLEAR!**

Meanwhile, the two Ex-Aids were still tackling Genmu. XXl was pinned to the ground. Genmu slammed the Sparrows down, but XXR blocked and gave XXL an opening for a kick. Once that was done, XXR helped XXL up and inserted the Gashat in the the KeySlasher.

 **GASHUNN! DOUBLE GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

"Let's do this!" XXR cheered.

And with that, a second KeySlasher appeared in XXL's hand.

"Right!" He said.

Then, the two put their blades together and prepared to attack.

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS CRITICAL FINISH!**

The two Ex-Aids first slashed downward, sending a wave towards Genmu, but after that, they sent an X-shaped slashed towards Genmu, with that being the one to defeat him. But, when the explosion cleared, Genmu was just absorbing the Bugster residue of Vernier. Once he was done, he just disappeared. The Ex-Aids just watched him go.

"Mission complete." Snipe announced.

The area reverted back to the area where Leafa was hanging out. Poppy flew over to Recon and checked it over.

"He's cured!" She smiled.

Recon looked all over his body, and he felt really good.

"Thank you!" He said. "I'll… do my best!"

Ex-Aid smiled as he stood up and walked towards someone. Kirito quickly pulled Leafa back for a short bit and whispered something into her ear. After that was done, Leafa slowly approached Recon.

"Leafa?" Recon asked.

Leafa breathed in, and then she spoke.

"Seven…" She whispered.

"Huh?" Recon asked.

"Seven o'clock!" Leafa shouted with a blush. "I'm free tomorrow at seven, so pick me up then!"

And with that she sulkily walked away. Recon, processing what he just heard, stood up and jumped for joy. Somehow, even Liz and Silica got into it.

"How did you-?" Asuna and Sinon both asked.

"I'm a persuasive guy." Kirito smiled.

While all that was going, Ex-Aid met up with Snipe.

"Kid, didn't you listen?" Snipe scoffed.

"Yes, I did." Ex-Aid retorted. "I will continue to face my problems… as a doctor and a Kamen Rider… for the patient and my body."

Snipe scoffed again, and then he walked away.

Dan threw off his AmuSphere. He was still recovering from the attack from Ex-Aid. But when he woke up, he saw Pallad sitting in front of his computer.

"Cleared your head?" He asked.

He then turned around to face him.

"Y'know, the best thing for you right now is just sitting your ass in front of this computer and finishing this game." Pallad suggested.

"You know nothing…" Dan said.

He walked over and pressed some keys, which had the screen display the Dangerous Zombie Gashat.

"Why do you think I went out of my way to retrieve data on my own death?" He asked. "Why do you think I chose Dangerous Zombie as my Gashat?"

"Yes, while this Gashat may be Level 10…" He said. "It is also Level X…"

"Level X?" Pallad asked.

Dan then faced Pallad with his most demonic slasher smile.

"X…" He said. "The unknown…"


	29. True Plans

Chapter 29: True Plans

 _ **Ex-Aid Online**_

In a dark and gloomy room, sat two men, separated only by a window. One man was a detective, trying to solve a case from some time ago. The other man was being interrogated for information.

"You're a stubborn man, detective." Dan Masamune replied. "The incident from five years ago have been solved."

The detective arched forward.

"No, it ain't." He retorted. "Two people in relation to your case has gone missing. Do you have any idea where they are?"

Masamune scoffed, and just got up to go back to his cell.

"I believe I can't answer that question…" He replied as he was escorted out.

"Wait!" The detective shouted. "Just what are you hiding?"

But then, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. His skin began to turn orange as he slowly fell to the ground on his knees, gasping for breath.

The SAO players were just happily lounging around in Brave's mansion. It was a nice change of pace from Asuna and Kirito's log cabin. Ex-Aid then appeared into the room, followed by Brave. But contrary to the latters attitude, Ex-Aid was very tired.

"So tired…" He groaned as he fell on the couch.

"Whoa there!" Liz called. "You okay?"

"Is your game disease acting up again?" Poppy asked.

"No…" Ex-Aid groaned. "It's just… Hiro was really strict on today's internship…"

"Oh, never mind then." Poppy replied.

She then flew back to play with Yui, but Liz stayed and just patted his head.

"Looks like game disease treatment may be the only thing you might be good at." Brave replied, grabbing a cup of coffee. "You better thank Poppy for recruiting you."

"Uh…" Poppy replied. "That wasn't exactly my idea…"

"Oh?" Kirito asked. "Then whose idea was it?"

"Dan suggested that we recruited you." Poppy replied.

That got everyone silent. The former ally, now their worst enemy, planned this whole thing out even before the Bugster virus was public? Just how far is this guy's plan?

"Genmu…" Brave whispered.

"Now that we mention it…" Sinon spoke up. "What about that 'ultimate game' he was going on about?"

"It would be best for us to not think about it." Brave replied. "As doctors, our only jobs are to save lives, not solve mysteries."

"But, we're not doctors though…" Asuna commented.

But then, Brave and Ex-Aid got a message. It was from one of the former's assistants from the hospital. The message says that they just received a patient.

"We'll be back." Brave replied. "We just got a patient."

And with that, Brave logged off. Ex-Aid also did too, but before he did, he told the SAO players something.

"Come to this location and wait for us there." He said, sending them a message. "We'll bring the patient over."

And on that note, Ex-Aid also logged off. The SAO players received the message, and they all departed to that location.

Emu and Hiro quickly saw the patient safely to his room. It was the detective from before. After getting him set up, they were ready to look him over.

"Name: Uesugi Ryuji. Age: 43. Occupation: Police Detective." Hiro read.

"Preparing examination." Emu replied.

"Who are you people…?" The detective asked.

"We are the doctors from CR." Emu replied.

"CR…?" The detective muttered.

Hiro ignored the small talk, and he just scanned him over. The scanner indicated a Bugster present within his body.

"It's game disease." Hiro replied.

"We'll have to treat you." Emu said.

Quickly, they grabbed a standby AmuSphere they had for a patient's use. After getting the link set up, both doctors quickly ran to Hiro's office to start the treatment.

Kirito and the others waiting patiently in the area Ex-Aid told them to be in. Speaking of which, Ex-Aid and Brave appeared onto the area, followed by a random player.

"Who's this guy?" Klein asked.

"He's our patient." Brave replied.

Yui looked him. His name was Phoenix, Level 40.

"It doesn't look like the conventional player though." Silica said.

"This account is just so we could treat patients that don't have any sort of VR game account." Brave replied. "It's faster this way."

Phoenix had other ideas, as he was trying to log off, but he couldn't.

"Why isn't this working?" He shouted.

"I'm sorry, but you're locked in here until we can cure your game disease." Brave explained. "It's better as it would prevent any spread of the virus."

Phoeni stomped his feet and just began to walk away.

"I don't have time for that!" He shouted.

Asuna quickly ran forward to stop him.

"Please!" Asuna pleaded. "Calm down!"

"Move it, missy!" Phoenix shouted, shoving Asuna out of the way. "I have to speak to Dan Masamune again…!"

Everyone ran forward to stop Phoenix. Kirito helped Asuna back up, and the two began to follow the rest.

"Dan Masamune?" Asuna asked.

"That's GENM's previous CEO, and Dan's father." Ex-Aid replied.

Just then, Phoenix stopped. He fell on his knees and began to faze in and out in orange.

"Bugster found!" Poppy shouted.

Everyone stopped. Ex-Aid and Brave put on their Gamer Drivers and pulled out their Gashats. And with a yell, Phoenix was engulfed in orange blobs and was replaced by a Bugster. He had a samurai helmet on, and he had coat going down his to his ankles. He also had two swords on his back, sheathed in an X Shape.

"A samurai!" Klein shouted, sheathing out his sword. "This must be my lucky day!"

The Riders just pressed their Gashats.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! DOUBLE X!**

"Proceeding to Level 5!" Brave shouted.

"Henshin!" Ex-Ad shouted.

 **GASHATTO! GASHATTO!**

 **DOUBLE GASHATTO!**

Then, all of them opened up their Gamer Drivers.

 **GACHANN LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!**

While Ex-Aid turned into his Level 10 chibi form, Brave turned into his Level 2 body, and then the dragon attached itself onto him.

"Let's do this thing!" Klein shouted with energy.

Brave rolled his eyes and just pressed the Stage button.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

The area changed into a forest. There was a small wodden bridge with an entrance gate on the other side. It was a typical samurai setting. Klein got more and more enthusiastic.

"I am the great Kaiden…" The Bugster replied. "Of the thirtieth standing!"

Ex-Aid quickly grabbed his sword.

 **GASHACON KEYSLASHER!**

"Alright!" He said. "A battle of swords it is!"

"En garde." Kaiden said.

Before anyone could say anything, Klein just charged in forward. He had been waiting for this moment. He first locked blades with Kaiden, and then throwing the blade upward, Klein then slashed Kaiden's lower body, and then down his back. Kaiden drew his second blade, and now the tables had turned on Klein.

"Huh." Kirito said. "Guess he knows what he's doing."

"Looks like he's not just an idiot." Liz and Brave both said at the same time unknowingly.

But with that said, Brave and the rest also attacked.

First, Brave and Ex-Aid both went for a slash, but Kaiden blocked them both. He twirled, but he missed as the Riders jumped back. Then, Asuna did her signature move, and Kaiden received damage. This was followed by a downward slash from both Kirito and Klein, which somehow Kaiden was able to block.

From afar, a familiar zombie came into being. He watched the battle from afar.

"Genmu!" Kirito called. "Don't get in the way!"

"Relax. I'm not here for you." Genmu replied.

He then fired an arrow behind him, and the arrow was thrown away as Snipe came into being. In Level 50. Genmu prepared to attack by splitting the Sparrows apart.

 **ZU-PANN!**

"Snipe…" He growled. "I shall retrieve your Gashats!"

"Took the words right out of my mouth!" Snipe shouted as he began to shoot.

Sinon saw this, and quickly whispered to Kirito.

"Kirito!" She shouted. "I'm going to help Snipe!"

"Alright! Be careful!" Kirito shouted.

As Sinon went to help Snipe, the fight with Kaiden was going just as fine. At this point, Kirito and Asuna had to fall back because this style of fighting wasn't their strongest suit. Ex-Aid also backed off, as he had just taken too much damage. It was just Klein and Brave now. They have currently locked blades now.

"Well swordsmanship… but still weak!" Kaiden cried as he threw them both off of him.

And with slashes to the right and down, Klein had taken significant damage. As a result, he tumbled down. Brave stopped him with his foot, and then he just stepped over him.

"You're getting in the way." He said. "I'll end this."

He then pulled out his Gashat and then inserted it into the side, pressing the button as well.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Klein quickly got up.

"Don't take all the glory!" Klein shouted. "I'm going to get him!"

Brave ignored him, and pressed the button again.

 **DRAGO KNIGHT CRITICAL STRIKE!**

Brave gathered enough energy. And with that, he slashed Kaiden three times, fired an energy ball, and then he fired a vortex of flames at Kaiden. And with that, Kaiden had taken major damage.

"My strength is waning…" He groaned. "I shall retreat for now…"

Then, Kaiden returned back to Phoenix, who just fell. Quickly, Asuna and Kirito helped him up and carried him away.

Meanwhile, Snipe, Sinon and Genmu were still fighting. They were just in a shoot out now.

"Time for you to go…" Genmu growled, inserting a Gashat into his Sparrow.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

"You first." Snipe replied, closing his Driver.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FIRE/FINISH!**

Snipe fired a tank shell. Genmu also fired an energy blast, and while he was able to hold the attack at bay for a bit, but it overwhelmed him. The shell exploded in front of him, consuming him and making him lose something. Sinon saw it and quickly caught it, noticing that it was the Bang Bang Shooting Gashat.

"Got it." She said.

Snipe looked over to Sinon, and then back to Genmu.

"Okay, this was too easy." He taunted. "Did you honestly think a Level 10 could beat a Level 50?"

Genmu then emitted a purple aura again, and he slowly stood back up.

"Gloat about it all you want…" He said. "It will be over soon…"

He then looked over to the rest, even Asuna and Kirito, who was helping Phoenix.

"And it would be best to stay out of issues you aren't related to." He mentioned.

He then turned away.

"Unless you want to meet Kujo Kiriya in the afterlife…" He finished.

And with that, he disappeared. The Riders and the players have no idea what he meant by that, but then again, with Genmu, you never know what goes on with that guy.

Dan threw off his AmuSphere, waking up in the real world. He then began to walk towards his computer, but he stumbled through several stacked boxes. And as boxes tumbled onto the floor, he sat himself down in front of the computer.

"This is going better than I thought…" He growled, breathing heavily.

He tapped a key, and it displayed the current data he has stored on the Dangerous Zombie Gashat.

"I just need to take one more fatal damage…" He continued. "Then… Dangerous Zombie's true power is unlocked…!"

Phoenix woke up with a startle. He found himself on a bed, in a neatly organized room, with a nightstand by his side. He also saw Ex-Aid and Poppy, who was sitting by his side.

"I assume you people are with CR?" He asked.

"Yes." Poppy replied. "Are you okay, sir?"

"You seemed to be talking in your sleep." Ex-Aid added.

Phoenix looked around, and he realized that he was in ALO. In his reports, he realized that this was a game, and he figured he should get out as soon as he can.

"It's alright." He said, getting out of bed. "I'm a cop, so toughing it out is part of the job."

But when he did manage to get up, his Bugster virus acted up, causing him to fall on the floor on his face.

"Sir!" Poppy called, trying to help. "Are you okay?"

"Let go of me!" Phoenix shouted.

"You have to rest!" Ex-Aid pleaded. "Please, let us help you!"

Phoenix then yelled something that just stopped them cold.

"My son died from the Bugster virus!" He yelled.

With that, everyone stopped. After the virus calmed down, Poppy and Ex-Aid stood him up against a wall.

"The Ministry took over the case, so I decided to investigate it privately…" Phoenix groaned. "I wanted to find out about the truth behind Zero Day, and the origins of the Bugsters…"

"But I thought the case was solved after Dan Masamune was arrested." Poppy commented.

"Well, no." Phoenix replied. "While he did confess to the crimes, he never really explained how the Bugster virus came to be."

"In addition to that, two men went missing last Christmas." He went on. "Dan Kuroto, son of Dan Masamune, and a medical coroner, Kujo Kiriya, who had met with Masamune just before he went missing."

"The case is far from over!" Phoenix finished, getting back up.

But then, the virus acted up again. He fell to his knees, but Ex-Aid was able to catch him. Ex-Aid then carefully lifted him back up onto the bed.

"Um…" He spoke. "I'll investigate the case for you."

That kind of confused everyone in the room.

"Ex-Aid, what are you saying?" Poppy said. "You're a doctor."

"She's right." Phoenix agreed. "This is a cop's job."

"No." Ex-Aid stated firmly. "It's also my job. I will cure your game disease, and make you smile again."

And with that said, Ex-Aid began to walk out of the room. He had Poppy stay behind to take care of him.

Meanwhile, Brave and the others have been watching him through a special observation glass in his office. The other SAO players were intrigued, while Brave kept a neutral face.

"Well…" Kirito said. "Would you look at that."

"The guy really cares..." Klein added. "Maybe a bit too much though…"

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing." Liz teased.

That's when Brave just stood up and stormed out of his office. The others followed suit, and later cut off Ex-Aid on his way outside.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked.

Ex-Aid stood his ground, and made his position firm.

"Genmu killed Lazer because of something he found out about Dan Masamune on that day." He explained. "I want to know what that something was."

"I thought I told you." Brave replied. "We're doctors, not mystery hunters."

Ex-Aid bit his lip, and despite that being right, he still was determined.

"Brave, can you take care of the patient?" He asked. "Poppy is already in there."

Ex-Aid began to log out, but Brave quickly grabbed his collar and pinned him to a wall, slightly shocking everyone.

"Do you want to meet the same fate as that coroner?!" He yelled.

"I just want to know!" Ex-Aid shouted back. "Why a secret costed Kiriya's life."

Brave then silently let go of Ex-Aid. He also vividly remembered Lazer's Game Over from Genmu on that day. As he let go, he looked away. Ex-Aid used this chance to log out.

"We'll go with him." Asuna said. "Right, Kirito?"

"Of course." Kirito replied. "We'll contact you when we found anything."

Then, the two couple also logged out. Brave then left towards the room patient, and the restof the SAO players followed suit.

"Should we be worried?" Silica asked quietly.

"I don't think it will help." Leafa replied.

Nico was jumping for joy in a nearby park with Taiga. While the latter was just chilling on a bench, she was hopping and skipping all over the place.

"You got your Gashat back!" She called. "That zombie guy's got to be hella pissed off!"

"Y'know, it ain't over yet." Taiga retorted. "I'm still going to destroy him."

"Well, he's an immortal zombie and everything…" Nico questioned. "Is there even a way?"

Taiga scoffed at that remark, but he knew what he had in mind.

"There is." He said. "An eye for an eye, a game for a game."

A little while later, the pair found themselves in the GENM Corp. development team room. They were sitting at a table, but there was some negotiation to be had with the guy they're talking to.

"I can't take this!" Koutarou shouted.

Taiga and Nico were talking to Nagata Koutarou, Recon's uncle, and the infected of the JuJu Burger Bugster from some chapters ago. He had just refused a big wad of cash Taiga had brought for him.

"I just need a new Gashat from you." Taiga said bluntly. "If this isn't enough, I can bring more. Just name your price."

"I mean…" Koutarou sighed. "This is just out of nowhere…"

Nico saw an opportunity. She walked up beside the adult and began to prod him around.

"Well now…" She teased. "I guess you already forgot what Genmu did to you?"

Koutarou cringed at the thought. He still remembered Genmu murdering Burgermon right before his eyes. It still haunts him to this day.

"No, I haven't!" He responded. "I still want him to pay!"

"Then grow some balls and do it!" Nico shouted, slugging him in the gut.

Koutarou lurched onto the table, groaning from the pain.

"What kind of game do want the Gashat to hold…?" He asked amidst the moaning of pain.

"A game where you deal with immortal zombies." Propsed a voice.

Taiga, Nico, and Koutarou saw Shino in the room. She walked up and sat down at the table, next to Taiga.

"Do you think you can do it, Mr. Nagata?" She asked.

Koutarou gathered his intestines together, and recovered.

"Of course." He replied.

After he left, leaving the three alone, Taiga turned to speak to Shino.

"Where did you come from?" He asked. "I thought you were with Ex-Aid."

"I just wanted to make sure you're not up to anything sneaky." Shino replied with a serious look in her eyes. "If he pulls this off, I'm going to tell Emu and the others about this."

Taiga stared her down hard.

"You better not…" He warned her.

"Humor me, then." Shino shot back.

The two stared down hard. Nico was just watching this, odd, but interested.

Some time ago, Emu, Kazuto, and Asuna had just finished talking with Dan Masamune. They were now just walking back.

"Well, now what?" Asuna asked.

"We have to tell Mr. Uesugi everything." Emu suggested.

"We'll have to hurry then." Kazuto said. "C'mon!"

The three began to pick up pace. They took a short cut through a canal. They began to approach a bridge, but a figure on the bridge stopped them.

"I thought I warned you to stay out of it." Dan said.

"Kuroto…" Asuna whispered.

"We've heard everything from your father!" Emu shouted.

 _(Flashback)_

 _Asuna, Kazuto, and Emu sat silently and still in the prisoner visiting room. They were very nervous. Asuna was rubbing her thumbs, and while Kazuto did his best to comfort her. Emu was calm and quiet. Then, with a loud metallic clunk, the door on the other side of the glass they spoke through opened, creaking along the way. A correctional officer entered along with a prisoner. Dan Masamune._

" _I seem to be quite popular with guests today…" He whispered._

 _Emu stood up, and greeted him politely._

" _Hello, sir." He said. "I'm Hojo Emu, from Seito University Hospital."_

 _Masamune perked up at the hearing of that name._

" _Emu…?" He repeated. "You're Emu…?"_

 _After that, he sat down in front of them._

" _What do you want?" He asked._

 _Emu sat back down, and he began to speak._

" _Last Christmas, a person named Kujo Kiriya was killed after talking to you." He explained. "… Your son did it."_

 _Masamune looked depressed, but you couldn't tell._

" _Guess I expected too much out of him…" He admitted._

" _Expected too much?" Kazuto repeated._

 _Emu saw his chance._

" _Please!" He said. "What did the two of you talk about…?"_

 _Masamune looked at Emu, and he also approached him._

" _Can you… stop my son…?" He asked._

 _The three said yes, and soon after that, Dan Masamune began to talk about how the Bugsters came to be in this world._

" _It all began in the year 2000, just after the panic of Y2K had passed." He said._

" _Y2K…?" Asuna asked. "What's that?"_

 _Emu turned to the two SAO players._

" _You guys weren't born at the time." He explained. "But it was this big scare back in 1999 when all the people were scared that all forms of technology and computers would malfunction the moment the year 200 began… but nothing happened in the end."_

" _No." Masamune interrupted. "That is when humanity's fate changed."_

" _One particular computer had a malfunction that was unnoticed…" He went on. "And that is how the Bugster virus was born… And Kuroto was the first one to discover it."_

 _(Flashback end)_

"And you used that to trigger Zero Day five years ago!" Kazuto said. "And then you framed your father!"

Dan couldn't help but cackle. He was delighted to hear that someone else finally figured out his master plan.

"Well, what other choice did I have?!" He bellowed. "I couldn't complete my ultimate game in prison!"

"You're scum…" Asuna said. "To even use your own father like that!"

Back in the world of ALO, Brave was handling some medical equipment in the room where Phoenix was kept. Silica and Leafa were taking turns wiping down his sweat, while Klein and Liz helped Brave as much as they could.

"Sorry about this…" He said exasperatedly.

"It's okay!" Silica smiled, dabbing his sweat. "This is the least we could do."

Brave finally sat down another piece of equipment, but then, something came to his mind.

"Is there even a point trying to find out about what happened back then." He questioned.

"Eh…?" Leafa asked.

"Even if you did…" Brave continued, thinking of Yuko. "It won't bring that person back."

Phoenix sighed.

"I couldn't protect my son…" He admitted. "And I didn't even find out about the truth of this case…"

Slighlty tearing up, he turned on his side.

"I'm a terrible detective…" He sighed.

Just then, he grunted. And, with warning, he screamed as the Bugster virus broke out again. Phoenix's figure was replaced by Kaiden again. Kaiden raised his blade, but Klein quickly intercepted.

"Hey there!" He smiled. "I've been itching for a rematch with you!"

The two clashed blades a couple more times before the two threw themselves out of the nearest window. Leafa and the others went after him, but Brave stopped to put on his Gamer Driver.

"That kid…" He groaned.

He pulled out his two Gashats and pressed them.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

He inserted the two in, and then he transformed.

 **GASHATTO! GASHATTO!**

"Proceeding to Level 5." He said. "Henshin."

 **GACHANN LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

Brave turned into his Level 2 form, and then the Dragon attached itself onto his body. Jumping down to the fight, he set the area with the button on his side.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

Dan continued to cackle. Emu, Asuna and Kazuto endured it for as long as they could, but they were interrupted when Emu's text went off.

"Mr. Uesugi's Bugster broke out!" He called.

"Let's go!" Asuna shouted.

Then, the three dashed away towards the direction of the hospital. Dan watched on as they went on.

"Now…" He smiled. "How will you save him…?"

Brave and Klein were now fighting Kaiden alongside Leafa, Silica, and Lisbeth. Kaiden quickly made short work of Silica, knocking her into a wall, while Leafa and Lis made things a bit more difficult. He would trick them into slicing each other. Klein and Brave were the real problem. Kaiden did a kick to get Brave off of him, but when he was about to charge, five figures entered the field.

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!**

Genmu Zombie Gamer, Kirito, Asuna, XXL and XXR came into the battlefield, glaring at each other. Kirito and Asuna continued to fight Genmu, while the Ex-Aids had a short chat with Brave.

"Move it, intern." He said. "I'm performing an operation here."

"Right!" XXR said, tapping his shoulder. "You'll handle that!"

"And we'll handle Genmu!" XXL said.

Then, the three riders ran towards their opponents.

From afar, Snipe and Sinon also came to the field. Snipe was in Level 50, and was watching the battle.

"Snipe Level 50, eh?" said a voice.

The two GGO players turned to see Para-DX in Knock Out Fighter form.

"This should be fun!" He cheered.

"Be quiet!" Sinon shushed.

"What an eyesore." Snipe scoffed, cocking all of his guns. "Mission start."

Then, these three began to fight each other.

First, it was nothing but a punching match. Snipe and Para-DX exchanged blows to each other in their abdomen, constantly switching. Para-DX first took the upper hand, as he was more agile in terms of body. He delivered a flurry of punches to knock Snipe off of his feet. When he swung his arms around for a final blow, Sinon shot an arrow to his back, drawing his attention. Para-DX would slowly approach her, and Snipe used that opening to fire two cannon shots to his back. Sinon rolled over to his side, and then the two fired a charged blast together. Para-DX was launched off of his feet as he tumbled on the ground for a bit.

"Okay then…" He admitted, dusting himself off. "Looks like Knock Out Fighter's at a disadvantage here."

He pulled out his Gashat and twisted the knob to the other game.

 **PERFECT PUZZLE!**

 **WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE!**

"Dai Henshin." He said, pressing it.

 **DUAL UP!**

 **GET THE GLORY IN THE CHAIN! PERFECT PUZZLE!**

Para-DX fists turned into shoulder pads, thus reverting him to his Perfect Puzzle form. He raised his left hand, and gathered the nearby Energy Items. He slid them around to find the ones he needed.

"These will do." He said, snapping his fingers on the ones he chose.

 **METALIZE! MUSCLE UP! MUSCLE UP!**

He then twisted the knob inward, and then back out.

 **KIMEWAZA!**

Snipe noticed it, and he closed his Gamer Driver in response.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

The two began to charge their attacks until the two unleashed together.

 **DUAL GASHAT!**

 **GACHANN!**

 **PERFECT CRITICAL COMBO!**

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FIRE!**

Para-DX jumped into the air as he a scissor kick, while Snipe clasped his gauntlets together and fired two cannon shells. Sinon also fired a scatter arrow in there. The two landed in an explosion, causing the three to knocked back and the Riders cancelling out of their transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

Para-DX reverted back to Pallad, and while he was bested evenly, he was smiling.

"Just as what you'd expect from a veteran." He said.

Snipe grunted as Sinon helped him up. Pallad also mentioned something to them.

"Hey, keep an eye on Genmu." He suggested. "He's trying to debunk the concept of Levels entirely."

And with that, he disappeared. Snipe and Sinon could only try to understand what he warned them.

The Ex-Aids, Asuna and Kirito were still fighting Genmu. Asuna and Kirito clashed together with their swords and Genmu's Sparrows. When Genmu threw them off, XXL took the opening to land a kick. Genmu would hack at him, but XXR ducked it and slashed his leg. And to finish it off, Asuna and Kirito landed a kick to launch him.

"Let's finish this!" XXR said.

"Read my mind!" XXL replied.

The two then pulled out their other two Gashats and inserted them into the KeySlasher.

 **GASHATTO! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

XXL also pressed the yellow button.

 **ZU-KYU-KYU-KYUNN!**

A blast began to charge on the tip of the sword, as the two Ex-Aids grabbed it together to hold it steady and aim at Genmu.

 **ACTION ROBOTS CRITICAL FINISH!**

The two fired the blast. Genmu tried to block it, but he was overwhelmed in the end. He was thrown, cancelling out of his transformation as well.

 **GASHUNN!**

Genmu reverted to his Undine body, as he tumbled across the ground. The Ex-Aids quickly high-fived Kirito and Asuna, as the group then watched the other fight.

Brave and Klein were the only ones fighting. Kaiden was using his two swords to fight the two.

"There is nothing I cannot cut!" Brave said his catchphrase.

He then fired a laser to Kaiden's chest, knocking him off. He slashed him a few more times, and then he just kicked to him a rock. Kaiden was heavily damaged, but he was able to manage to land a kick on Brave. He was knocke back, but he ran into Klein, who accidentally stumbled onto an Energy Item.

 **MUSCLE UP!**

Klein felt a sudden burst of power. He never felt so powerful in his life.

"Alright!" He shouted. "Let's do this!"

He then launched himself into the air, towards Kaiden.

"You impudent…!" He shouted.

"Tsuboi Ryotaro Hisatsu Giri!" Klein shouted as he slammed his sword down onto Kaiden's head.

After he did that, he slashed him right across his torso. Kaiden exploded into fire and smoke almost instantly.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

The others made their way over. Leafa were amazed by the sight.

"Wow, Klein!" Leafa said. "That was awesome!"

"'Tsuboi Ryotaro Hisatsu Giri'?" Liz asked with a teasing look. "Seriously?"

Klein blushed madly.

"H-Hey!" He said. "I had to come up with it on the spot okay? I would've named it something cooler!"

Brave shook his head as he just cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

He and Silica helped Phoenix to safety, who had just recovered from his Bugster infection.

But as they were moving him, the Bugster residue left behind were being drawn somewhere. It was Genmu. He had his BugVisor outstretched, and the Bugster residue was gathering into it. When he as done, Kaiden could be seen on screen.

The Ex-Aids saw this and cancelled out of their transformation, reverting back to one Ex-Aid.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Snipe and Sinon also stepped down to their level as well. They were also intrigued by what they saw.

"What was that just now?" Kirito asked.

Genmu chuckled as he stood up.

"Kamen Riders… Bugsters… and you kids…" He growled. "They're all cogs of the machine of the ultimate game."

"There you go with that 'ultimate game' nonsense." Sinon spoke up. "Just what is it?"

Genmu chuckled, and then he raised his BugVisor to show them his ultimate game.

"Kamen Rider Chronicle." He said. "It is where players transform into Kamen Riders to fight monsters in the real world."

And, adding his slasher smile, he added, "It is the ultimate survival game!"

While the Riders stopped to ponder at this, the SAO players were stoned (except Sinon). All of a sudden, all of their memories from being trapped in Sword Art Online came flooding back to them.

"A game…?" Kirito whispered in his mad voice.

Asuna quivered when he said it like that. Kirito slowly approached Genmu until he was only a armslength away.

"You call risking people lives a game…" He started.

He then grabbed his collar.

"You killed Lazer just for that?!" He shouted.

Genmu didn't react too seriously. He laughed.

"Sacrifices are unavoidable in this line of work." He said.

He threw Kirito off of him and then kicked him hard in his stomach. He was launched, but Asuna and Ex-Aid was able to catch him. The others tried to help, but Genmu stepped forward, causing them to stop. He then spew out a speech.

"Providing dreams and adventures for those who seek them…" He began. "That is the form of entertainment known as games!"

"Only those with the talents of a god have what it takes…" He went on. "And I… HAVE WHAT IT TAKES!"

Ex-Aid had heard enough.

"Because of this game of yours… countless people lost their lives!" He said. "Mr. Uesugi's family… Hiro's girlfriend… and subsequently Shino's mother… and Kiriya… I'll make you pay!"

Genmu responded with a kick to the face. He then stepped on him several times, and just kicked him over once again. He then put his BugVisor back on.

 **GACHANN!**

"You can't stop me." He said. "Not when I have both immortality… and Level X…!"

He smiled with pure joy when he pressed his Gashat.

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

"Henshin…" He growled.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP!**

Genmu transformed into his Zombie Gamer form, but something odd happened at that. He began to crackle with power. And with a yell, he exploded into an aura of purple and dark violet energy. The aura had force strong enough to launch the entire group of protagonists back several feet.

 **DANGER! DANGER! GENOCIDE! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

When the aura and the explosion subsided, Genmu was there once more, in his Zombie Gamer form, seeming more insane and bloodthirsty then ever.

"Did he say Level X…?" Snipe said.

"X… does he mean the unknown variable?" Sinon commented.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Liz asked.

"It probably means…" Brave replied. "His power is immeasureable."

Ex-Aid scowled as he stood back up and grabbed his Mighty Brothers XX Gashat.

"I'm going to stop you! Right here! Right now!" He declared.

He then pulled the Gashat up to his face, and pressed it.

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!**

"Henshin!" He shouted, inserting it.

 **DOUBLE GASHATTO!**

He also opened up the Driver.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!**

Ex-Aid turned into his chibi Level 10 form, but he closed his Driver and opened it back up.

 **GACHANN!**

"Daaaaaai Henshin!" He shouted.

 **GACHANN! DOUBLE UP!**

 **ORE GA OMAE DE! OMAE GA ORE DE! WE ARE! MIGHTY MIGHTY BROTHERS! HEY! DOUBLE X!**

Ex-Aid turned into XXR and XXL, and they were ready to rumble. XXR grabbed his weapon to attack.

 **GASHACON KEYSLASHER!**

Genmu only grabbed his Sparrows.

 **GASHACON SPARROW!**

XXR pulled out his Gashat and inserted it into the KeySlasher.

 **GASHUNN! DOUBLE GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

XXR raised his KeySlasher up, and in tandem, summoned another KeySlasher for XXL. The two pressed the orange buttons on their KeySlasher, and got ready to attack as Genmu just stood there nonchalantly.

 **ZU-PA-PA-PANN!**

The two Ex-Aids quickly slashed Genmu, but Genmu took it really well, as he just twirled away to a safe distance, using the momentum of the attack. The Ex-Aids then pressed the blue button on their KeySlashers and got ready for their final attack.

 **JA-JA-JA-KINN!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS CRITICAL FINISH!**

The two Ex-Aids slashed in an X-Shape, and Genmu fired an energy arrow at that attack. The result was an explosion. But when the explosion cleared, Genmu had disappeared. Everyone was shocked.

"Where did he go…?" The Ex-Aids whispered.

IR, Emu was doing his final checks on Uesugi. He was cleared.

"Congratulations." He smiled. "You've been cured."

"Thanks a bunch, kiddo." Uesugi said.

"Don't thank me, sir." Emu responded politely. "Dr. Kagami handled the operation."

"It's not just about that." Uesgui retorted. "You said you were going to make him pay for what he did to all of us."

"I'll be reporting all of this to the Ministry." Uesugi stated. "We'll find Dan Kuroto and stop whatever he has planned."

Emu smiled. Uesugi also smiled in response and then he began to get up with Emu's help.

Back in ALO, everyone else was watching this through a special camera set up by Kirito and Asuna.

"So Emuis not only saving his patients…" Poppy deduced. "He's also carrying the burden of those who are gone!"

"That's some noble stuff right there." Kirito said.

Brave, who was eating a cake, also had something to say.

"Looks like I judged him a bit too harshly." He admitted.

Asuna heard this and walked up to him.

"I heard that!" She smiled. "Let this be evidence!"

She then grabbed Brave's fork and ate the piece of cake Brave was about to eat himself. Kirito and the others laughed at the visual gag.


	30. The Final Game

Chapter 30: The Final Game

Strangely for today, Emu was invited over to the Kirigaya household with the gang. They were still wondering about how to best deal with Genmu's newly established "ultimate game", Kamen Rider Chronicle. They were currently in their living room, sitting on the couches quietly.

"If he finishes it, a lot of people's lives would be in danger…" Kirito muttered. "This is Sword Art Online all over again…"

"Yeah…" Emu agreed.

Meanwhile, Hiro was in a meeting room of some kind. It was in another hospital too.

'How can we fight Genmu if he's immortal…?' He thought.

Just then, a man walked in with a box, holding several belongings of some kind.

"Thank you for waiting." He said. "This is everything from Kujo's desk."

"Thank you." Hiro replied, beginning to take stuff out.

"And… if you don't mind me asking…" said the man. "Have you heard from Kujo lately?"

Hiro looked at the man. He knew what he meant. They were never able to tell everybody about Kiriya's death.

"He hasn't been responding lately, so…" The man explained.

"Sorry, but we haven't heard from him either." Hiro responded.

He then pulled out what appeared to be Kiriya's laptop. He opened up and sat down.

"Just let me know once you're done." The man finished.

"Of course, sir." Hiro replied.

Once the man left, Hiro turned the laptop on, and clicked on a document of some kind. It was labeled as "Bugster". He saw that it had some deep notes of some kind of procedure treating game disease. The title of the document was "Reprogramming".

"Impossible…" He uttered.

Elsewhere, Nico was playing in a playground. Taiga was leaning on a swingset next to Shino, who was sitting on the said swingset.

"I wonder what kind of Gashat that old man is going to make?" Nico shouted from the slide.

"It should be something like a zombie survival game, right?" Shino replied.

"Yeah." Taiga seconded. He then scowled at the sky.

"I'm going to pummel Genmu's face into the pavement…" He said.

Genmu was sitting on a bench in one of the parks of ALO. He saw several players, some couples, some just a group of friends. But he wasn't paing attention to them. He was staring at his BugVisor. It was displaying all of the 10 games that are currently Gashats. So far, all of them have been blacked out other than DoReMiFa Beat, Shakariki Sports, and Drago Knight Hunter Z.

"Only three more Bugsters remain until my ultimate game is complete…" He muttered.

Just then, a pair of legs stopped moving right in front of him. Genmu looked up to see an Undine with a huge staff.

"Dan Kuroto, right?" The Undine said.

"Chrystheight…?" Genmu said quietly.

"You are under suspicion of of spreading the Bugster virus." Chrystheight went on. "My men are approaching your location. You had better come along quiety."

And with that, Chrystheight had began to slowly approach Genmu. Genmu realized he had no way to go, so he quickly ran away into an alley.

"Stop!" Chrystheight shouted, going after him.

Emu and the others were still pondering about Kamen Rider Chronicle, but Emu's phone buzzed. He looked at it and saw an alarm for a Bugster. He quickly stood up and began to run to the door.

"Emu!" Rika called. "What is it?"

"A Bugster!" Emu called back. "Everyone go to your places!"

And with that, everyone filed out of the house. Kazuto and Suguha ran up to their rooms, while everyone else ran back to their homes.

Meanwhile, Hiro had just finished reading and studying the notes that Kiriya had made.

"Well, coroner…" He said. "You really outdid yourself."

He then got a buzz from his phone. He knew what that meant. He quickly put everything back into the box and ran out.

Elsewhere, Taiga also got the buzz.

"Really?" Nico whined. "And everything was just going our way…!"

"Nico." Shino said. "You should go ahead to GENM Corp."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Nico pouted.

"No, she's right." Taiga retorted. "Go on ahead. We'll catch up."

Nico nodded and then walked towards the GENM Corp. building.

"Why did she listen to you but not me?" Shino asked.

"Don't ask me." Taiga said.

Ex-Aid, and the entire SAO gang ran down the streets of ALO.

"Poppy!" Ex-Aid called.

"It's this way!" She shouted.

They stopped when they entered an open field. There were several rock formations that would be great for skateboarders if this game had such a feature. Then, they saw the Bugster. He was riding… a BMX? And he appeared to be doing tricks and whatnot. He was also slapping players with the bike too.

"It broke out already?!" Liz groaned.

"That's Charlie from Shakariki Sports!" Ex-Aid called out, putting on his Gamer Driver.

He jumped down to the field with the gang behind him. He pulled out his Gashat and pressed it, getting the attention of the Bugster.

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!**

"Henshin!" He shouted, inserting the Gashat.

 **DOUBLE GASHATTO!**

He then opened up the Driver.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!**

Ex-Aid turned into his chibi Level 10 form. He looked around to see the injured players.

"Guys. Get everyone clear." He said.

They nodded, and they began to move players to safety. Ex-Aid closed the Driver back up.

 **GACHANN!**

He then flailed his arms around and then opened the Driver back up.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai…" He started. "Henshin!"

 **GACHANN! DOUBLE UP!**

 **ORE GA OMAE DE! OMAE GA ORE DE! WE ARE! MIGHTY MIGHTY BROTHERS! HEY! DOUBLE X!**

Ex-Aid then split into the two Ex-Aids of Mighty Brothers of XXR and XXL.

"Let's clear this game with super co-op!" The two cheered.

" _Alright! Let's rock!"_ Charlie cried.

The two Ex-Aids began to run towards him, but Charlie did a wheelie and tore past them. He got up onto a ramp, and slapped the two Ex-Aids in the face. Then, he bunny-hopped behind them and rode back towards them.

Behind them, Snipe and Sinon came into being.

"Genmu's not here, huh?" Snipe noticed.

Sinon's cat ears twitched, and then she quickly turned around and fired an arrow. A figure jumped up and landed a bit closer behind them.

"That's quite a sharp eye you've got." Brave said, who had just walked up.

The three looked at the figure. It was Pallad, watching the Charlie fight with the Ex-Aids.

"Para-DX…" Snipe said. "I guess you also wish to play Kamen Rider Chronicle?"

"You could say that." Pallad smiled.

He then pulled out his Gashat. He turned the knob downward.

 **PERFECT PUZZLE!**

 **WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?**

"Let's warm up." He smiled, pressing the Gashat.

 **DUAL UP!**

 **GET THE GLORY IN THE CHAIN! PERFECT PUZZLE!**

Pallad quickly turned into Para-DX Perfect Puzzle form. Brave and Snipe put on their Gamer Drivers and pulled out their Gashats.

Brave moved first. He pressed his Gashat.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

"Proceeding to Level 2." He said. "Henshin."

He inserted the Gashat and then opened up the Gamer Driver.

 **GASHATTO! GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

Brave turned into his Level 2 Rider form.

Snipe also pulled out his Gashat. He then flipped the knob upward.

 **BANG BANG SIMULATION!**

 **I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP!**

"Phase 50." He said. "Henshin."

He inserted the Gashat into his Driver and opened it up.

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **SCRAMBLE DA! SHUTSUGEKI! HASSHIN! BANG BANG SIMULATION! HASSHIN!**

Snipe turned into his Level 2 Rider form, and then the battleship attached itself onto him. He then fired a cannon blast at Para-DX. Luckily, Para-DX jumped up and then began to attack Brave first. He tripped him up, and then Sinon grabbed his attention with a scatter arrow. Para-DX flipped over to her, but Snipe intercepted him before he could get to her.

Meanwhile, the two Ex-Aids were still having trouble dealing with Charlie. Then, they had an idea.

"Hey! Leafa!" XXR called.

Leafa strangely walked over to them.

"What's up?" She asked.

"You have to distract him!" XXR ordered. "We're going to set up for the win!"

"I see where you're going!" XXL agreed, grabbing the Shakariki Sports Gashat.

XXL then gave the Gashat to Leafa, who was kind of hesitant on doing so.

"Um… guys?" She spoke. "Can we talk about this?"

"Nope!" XXR chuckled, pushing her.

"Get in there!" XXL shouted, also pushing her.

Leafa stumbled on her feet, right into an Energy Item.

 **PROVOKE!**

Leafa looked at herself. There's no way of backing out now.

"Ah, mou!" She cried, pressing the Gashat.

 **SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

Then, the Shakariki Sports BMX bike materialized next to her. She then got on it. Charlie was diving towards the Ex-Aids, but then a STOP sign appeared in front of him. The STOP sign then became a directional sign that points towards Leafa.

"I'm over here!" Leafa teased.

Charlie flipped his bike around, and then began to pedal furiously towards Leafa. She took off, with Charlie behind her. She rode around for a while. And, surprisingly, she was doing tricks as well, such as bunny-hopping, and even an occasional wheelie.

As they went on, the Ex-Aids grabbed an Energy Item to get ready.

 **MUSCLE UP!**

The two also pressed the blue button on each of their KeySlashers, and got ready.

 **JA-JA-JA-KIIN!**

Leafa noticed that, and began to pedal towards the two Ex-Aids, who got into a batter's stance.

"Batter at the plate!" XXL called.

And with a simple bunny hop, Leafa jumped over the two Ex-Aids as Charlie just went right into their slash.

"And it's out of the park!" XXR cheered.

Charlie fell off of his bike, and tumbled down the field.

"Yeah!" Leafa cheered.

Charlie got up, breating heavily. He was damaged hard. He had to retreat.

" _See you…_ " He groaned.

Charlie was consumed by orange blobs again. He then retreated back into his host's body, who was… Genmu?!

The Ex-Aids cancelled out of their transformations and slowly approached him.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

As Ex-Aid and the others approached them, Brave, Sinon, Snipe, and Para-DX stopped to see what happened.

"Genmu?" Sinon uttered.

Para-DX, who currently had Snipe in an arm-lock, just threw him off.

"Man…" He groaned. "Now, I'm just not feeling it."

And with that Para-DX just disappeared. Brave and Snipe, cancelling out of their transformations, with Sinon, also approached Genmu, who was just on the ground, battered.

"How do you, of all people, have game disease…?" Brave asked.

"I don't know…" Genmu spluttered, trying to hold in his pain. "How I'm… infected…!"

Just the, Chrystheight emerged out of nowhere and approached them.

"Chrystheight…?" Asuna asked.

"The Ministry will be taking him in." Chrystheight explained.

Just then, Genmu just suddenly disappeared.

"Wait, where did he go?" Kirito asked.

"It appears that my men have finally got him." Chrystheight smiled.

He then also logged off. Everyone was baffled by this.

"Great, now what?" Liz said.

Then, all three of the Riders just logged off. The SAO gang were just left behind. But before they did, Ex-Aid told them to wait inside Brave's mansion with Poppy. And they did. Well, most of them did. Leafa, Lis, Klein, and Silica went back, while Sinon, Asuna, and Kirito agreed to follow.

The location was a government building. And by the entrance, was guarded by several men in suits. A man stepped out of the entrance and checked his watch.

"Right on cue." He whispered.

Then, a black van rolled up to the entrance. The van opened to have several men step out and reach for the passenger side. They reached inside and pulled out Dan Kuroto.

"Please! Let me go!" He pleaded. "I don't want to die!"

"Oh, just come along quietly!" ordered a man that was dragging him.

As that was all happening, Emu, Hiro, and Taiga came into the scene.

"What's going on here?" Hiro asked.

"This man is accused of bioterrorism." A man told him. "The Ministry will be taking him in."

Just then, Kazuto, Asuna, and Shino rolled in. Kazuto immediately recognized what was going on.

"Kikuoka…" He said. "He must've ordered the arrest!"

"Why should we bother?" Asuna asked. "They're arresting a dangerous man!"

But when she said that, Emu stepped up and grabbed one of the man's arm.

"This man is infected with game disease." He stated. "CR will be taking him in."

"What?" Taiga uttered.

That's when Kikuoka stepped forward.

"You know why we are arresting him, don't you?" He said.

"As doctors, we have a responsibility towards patients." Emu retorted.

"And besides." Hiro chimed in. "If the Bugster were to break out, it will be dangerous not only to you, but also to the public."

"Will you be taking that risk?" He finished.

"Hiro…" Asuna whispered from afar.

Kikuoka took that information in. Hiro was right. They neither have the people, nor the equipment to handle this situation, should it go south. He also didn't want to risk the Bugsters spreading, so he had to make a call. He waved his hand, and all of the men around Dan pulled back and went inside the building.

"We'll report this to our superiors." He said. "In the worst-case scenario, all of you would receive federal punishment."

And with that, Kikuoka entered the building, leaving Dan in the care of the Riders.

"Thank you…!" Dan said. "Thank you…!"

And as this went on, Taiga was still concerned.

"Are you people seriously going to treat him?" He asked.

"If we don't, he won't be able to pay for his crimes." Hiro replied. "Right?"

Emu nodded. He was happy that Hiro was finally giving him some support.

"Oh, cut that doctor crap out already!" Taiga shouted.

He then turned his attention towards Dan.

"Hey, Genmu. You better be ready." He said. "I'm going to put you in your grave with my own hands."

And with that, Taiga walked away. With him gone, Emu turned back to Hiro.

"I'm surprised that you would get behind me…" He said.

"You said you would avenge all those who had lost their lives to this plague, right?" Hiro asked.

"I just feel the same way." He finished, walking away.

Emu nodded, and lifted Dan over his shoulder and carried him off. Kazuto, Asuna, and Shino watched as this all went on.

"Well, we should get back." Kazuto suggested.

"Right." Asuna replied.

Then, the two began to head back. But Shino stayed.

"Shino!" Kirito called. "You coming?"

"I have something I need to do!" Shino called back.

And with that, Asuna and Kazuto just rolled away, while Shino ran towards GENM Corp.

Some time later, Genmu found himself in Brave's mansion, in the free room. He was leaning on a wall, and breathing heavily.

"Looks like you got your just deserts…" Klein chuckled. "I don't care how talented you are, but sickness is invincible."

"I know…" Genmu moaned.

"And…" Asuna began. "Do you realize how many lives are lost because of y-"

"Asuna!" Kirito interrupted.

Asuna stepped back and held her arm. Ex-Aid then stepped forward with Poppy slowly cowering on his head.

"What made you to become like this?" He asked. "What happened to you?"

"My plans are falling apart…" Genmu breathed. "I will tell you the truth…"

He slowly looked up at Ex-Aid.

"Emu… you were the beginning point in all of this…" He stated.

Everyone was shocked when they heard that.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kirito asked.

"Sixteen years ago…" Genmu began. "I was a simple developer at GENM Corp., when my father was still CEO…"

"I was still in high school, but I developed the best-selling games the company had ever made." He continued. "But that's when I received a letter."

"It was Emu Hojo." He said. "He had sent in ideas for several games, games that our company wanted to make."

"It was on that day that I realized that I wasn't the only one with immeasurable talent." Genmu finished.

"Now that you mention it…" Ex-Aid said. "I do remember writing it…"

"It was also the moment that changed both of our fates…" Genmu continued.

Taiga, Nico, and Shino were in the GENM Corp. meeting room, where a projector was showing them the new Gashat. It was very thick, and it had some kind of gimmick on the end.

"So…" Taiga said. "That's the new Gashat?"

"What kind of game is it?" Nico asked.

"I had the best idea in mind!" Koutarou replied, grabbing a folder.

He reached into it and pulled out some papers. He flipped a page and revealed to them the game.

"Ta-da!" He announced. "Monks of the Dead Temple!"

Then, anime-like, the screen just shatters with Taiga, Nico, and Shino getting black and white. After a bit, they recovered.

"I made a mistake by tasking you with this…" Taiga groaned.

"Wait, is this not goo enough?" Koutarou asked. "Well, we have another game called Prayer Beats…"

"I think what Taiga meant to say is that, we could properly do without the monks…" Shino added with a sweat drop.

Just then, the doors of the meeting room swung open. Hiro then entered with Kiriya's laptop in his hand.

"Figured I'd find you here." He said

"Why are you here?" Taiga asked.

"I'll be using that Gashat." Hiro stated.

"May we ask why?" Shino asked.

"Yeah!" Nico added. "We're not just going to give it to you, y'know!"

He then placed Kiriya's laptop on the table.

"I have the data that you may want to install on it." He added. "Or rather, the data the coroner left behind…"

Back to ALO, Genmu was still explaining everything that happened up until now.

"I thought I could use the Bugster virus to create games like no other…" He said. "So… to test it, I sent a beta copy of the game."

"Oh yeah!" Ex-Aid perked up. "I got a game still in development as a thanks for sending that letter! I was so happy!"

"And when you played that game…" Genmu went on. "You were infected by the virus."

Everyone stopped when they heard that. So Genmu was the one who infected Ex-Aid all those years ago?

Back at GENM Corp, they were in Koutarou's office, Hiro had plugged in Kiriya's laptop with Koutarou's, so the data in Kiriya's laptop could be transferred.

"So what data is it again?" Nico asked.

"Reprogramming." Hiro answered. "A very specialized medical technique."

"Re-… repro-… what?" Nico stuttered.

"To put it simply, it is a mthod to remove or reform a DNA's epigenetics." Taiga explained.

"So basically, it's a way to rewrite a Bugster's power?" Shino simplified.

"In theory." Hiro corrected. "At the very least, we might be able to counter Genmu's immortality."

Just then, a scream could be heard from inside the building. The workers are being attacked. By what exactly? Hiro and Shino quickly left the office to see what was going on, and they were shocked at what they saw. In front of them, were Bugster mooks, attacking civilian workers! And they're acting as if they had been zombified!

"What the hell?!" Hiro shouted.

"Bugsters?! Here?!" Shino added.

Taiga was also surprised at the situation, but he took a more calmer approach to it. He then noticed something over on the side.

"Hey, what's that?" He asked Koutarou.

Koutarou looked over and saw what he was pointing at. It were three Gamer Drivers, and with three Gashats. Those being Mighty Action X, Taddle Quest, and Bang Bang Shooting.

"Those are prototypes for you to use in real life!" Koutarou explained. "We have only managed to produce one fine Gamer Driver however. The other two are corrupted."

Taiga walked over to the items. He grabbed a Driver and the Taddle Quest Gahsat. He then tossed them over to Hiro.

"Hey!" He called.

Hiro turned around and caught them.

"You can handle it, right?" Taiga asked.

"Why aren't you using this yourself?" Hiro asked in return.

"I have to keep watch on the Gashat." Taiga explained. "And isn't it your "code" to save people?"

Hiro winced, and just ran outside. Shino went back inside, and then looked at Taiga.

"You really should at least try to be nice." She said.

Taiga scoffed, and just threw Koutarou out of the room and sat down on his chair.

Back in ALO, Genmu had now curled up into a ball, just trying to hold in the pain from his infection. The SAO players have taken some steps away from him, just to avoid any exposure. However, he managed to prop himself up to the wall and continue his story.

"So… I waited." He went on. "Until the Bugster finally matured within you."

"After learning that in your last Overwatch tournament, I asked Zaizen Michihiko to operate on you…" Genmu continued. "So… I used both you and Zaizen to harvest the mature Bugster virus…"

"Then… the Bugster outbreak…!" Leafa said.

"The virus I took from Emu was the base of it all…" Genmu concluded.

Ex-Aid hadn't said anything as of this point. He had just clentched a fist really hard. Genmu picked himself up and began to make his way over to him, via crawling or stumbling.

"I know what I did was unforgiveable…!" He sobbed. "And I know people would just leave me to rot… but you… you…!"

Ex-Aid had had enough. He let go of his fists, and then stood up from his chair.

"Please… stop." He said calmly. "Stressing you out would only make the situation worse."

Genmu looked up at him, and was just flabbergasted.

"After all I've done…" He sobbed. "You would still save me…?"

"I will never forgive you for what you've done." Ex-Aid admitted.

But then, he slouched Genmu over his shoulder, and then put him back on the bed.

"But as your doctor, I can't hold a grudge to my patient." He said.

Genmu then smiled lightly, and he began to thank him.

"Thank you…" He repeated. "Even with a piece of human I am… you would still shine bright for me…"

Genmu then yelled. He began to pixelate yellow, and the Bugster was beginning to come back.

"Please, in exchange for this…" Ex-Aid went on. "Please pay for you crimes!"

He put on his Gamer Driver, and pulled out the Mighty Brothers XX Gashat. He pressed, and thus summoned the Bugster forward.

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! XX!**

The game area spread throughtout the area, then he inserted the Gashat in, and opened the Driver.

"Henshin!" He called.

 **DOUBLE GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!**

Ex-Aid transformed into the chibi form of Level 10, and then he pressed the button on the side.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

The area then became some kind of lakeside, where the water hugged the land. Genmu had finally disappeared, replaced by the figure of Charlie.

" _I'm back… baby…_ " He moaned.

Ex-Aid closed his Driver back up.

 **GACHANN!**

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai…" He began. "Henshin!"

He then opened the Driver.

 **GACHANN! DOUBLE UP!**

 **ORE GA OMAE DE! OMAE GA ORE DE! WE ARE! MIGHTY MIGHTY BROTHERS! HEY! DOUBLE X!**

The two Ex-Aids then stood together, side by side.

"Let's clear this game… with super co-op!" They announced.

Then, Charlie and the Ex-Aids attacked. The SAO players and Poppy stuck to the sidelines.

The Zombie Bugsters were still attacking the workers. Hiro walked down and saw the main entrance was infested with them. He still had the Gamer Driver and the Gashat in hand. He looked at both items, and realized there was no time to think about this. He put the Gamer Driver on, which wrapped around his waist perfectly. He looked at the Gashat, and then pressed it.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

The game area of the game spread out all over the open space. He looked at the Gashat, and then put on a serious face.

"Proceeding to Level 2." He said. "Henshin."

He then inserted the Gashat and opened the Driver.

 **GASHATTO! GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

Hiro then saw his body, as it was being consumed by pixels. His entire body then turned into Kamen Rider Brave, Level 2. He looked at himself first, and then gathered himself together. As amazing as this is, he still had a job to do. He reached out his hand, and a familiar weapon appeared in his hands.

 **GASHACON SWORD!**

He put the sword in front of him, and he jumped. He first slashed a Zombie mook off a worker. He then kicked another out of the way. One by one, he worked his way outside. But when he reached the door, a figure grabbed him and just threw outside. Brave recovered and saw Genmu, Zombie Gamer.

"Genmu?! How are you here?" He asked.

Genmu didn't reply, as he just continued to attack Brave.

Back in Koutarou's office, Taiga was still waiting for the data to finish transferring. Nico and Shino were begging to grow impatient.

"Ah, mou!" Nico whined. "Is it not done yet?!"

Just as she said that, the transfer reached 100%.

"It's done!" Shino called.

"Hey, transfer that to my ALO account." Taiga ordered.

"Right!" Shino said, taking his seat.

Taiga, meanwhile, grabbed the Bang Bang Shooting Gashat and one of the corrupt Gamer Drivers.

He then ran outside. He found Brave 1v1-ing Genmu. Brave was thrown back.

"Brave!" Taiga called. "You've done enough!"

He put on his Gamer Driver, and then he pressed the Gashat.

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

The game area spread throughout the open space. He then twirled his Gashat.

"Henshin…" He said.

He then inserted the Gashat and opened the Driver.

 **GASHATTO! GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **BABABANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

Taiga then became Kamen Rider Snipe, Level 2.

"Alright, let's get started." He smiled.

But then, he felt something. The suit triggered an error, making it spark and sent electrical surges. Snipe was then thrown out of his transformation, and back to Taiga. Brave noticed this, so he had to jump in and protect Taiga.

Now, the fight in ALO escalated. The SAO gang had joined in on the fight. They were now taking turns at taking on Charlie. First, Liz and Silica. First, Liz would smash him with her mace, and then Silica would slice up his legs. Then, XXR, Klein, and Leafa together jumped and slashed downward. Asuna, Kirito, and XXL all kicked Charlie in the stomach together.

"Alright, time we finish this!" XXL said.

"Yep!" XXR agreed. "Everyone! Stand back!"

The SAO gang pulled back as the Ex-Aid closed their Drivers.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

The two put one foot back, and let the energy charge into their other foot. Then, together, they opened the Driver.

 **GACHANN!**

 **MIGHTY DOUBLE CRITICAL STRIKE!**

Then, the two Ex-Aids jumped into the air. They both shot their feet out and then landed a kick on Charlie. Then, they flipped back, and then they landed another kick, enough to send him back.

" _Amazing…_ " Charlie groaned as he exploded.

"We did it!" Silica shouted.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

Out of the explosion, Genmu stumbled on the floor. But then, he shot his BugVisor out and absorbed the Bugster residue left behind. Charlie was then present on the screen of the BugVisor. Once all of the residue was absorbed, he smiled his signature slasher smile.

"I appreciated the help… Hojo Emu…" He growled.

The Ex-Aids perked up at what he said. Genmu slowly sat up.

"You're the easiest person I've tricked in my entire career…" He said.

"What are you saying?" XXL asked.

Genmu stood up and turned so that his back is facing the protagonists.

"Getting infected with game disease… was all part of my plan…" He went on. "After all… the Ministry found my hiding spot…"

"I just had to buy some time… knowing that you would come and cure me…" Genmu finished.

"Wait…" Asuna concluded. "Then… you used CR as a hiding spot?!"

"And those tears from before…" Leafa added. "They were nothing but lies?!"

Genmu smiled madly. He then threw off his upper garment, exposing his naked torso.

"For sixteen years… you were so pure…" He whispered.

He then arched his back backwards, like a real zombie.

"And the light you emitted is the stimuli of my genius!" He shouted. "You're… by far… the greatest guinea pig anyone ever controlled!"

He then looked at his hand.

"All this time… and you didn't even know…" He smiled. "You were dancing in the palm of my hands!"

He then laughed out loud, his voice almost slicing the air in half if it were visible. And after that brief moment of joy, he then put on the BugVisor.

 **GACHANN!**

He then pulled out his Gashat, and pressed it.

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

"Hen…" Genmu growled. "Shin…"

He then inserted the Gashat and pressed the tab below it.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP!**

 **DANGER! DANGER! GENOCIDE! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

Genmu then exploded into a cloud of black dust. And as the smoke dissipated, Genmu turned into his Zombie Gamer form. It crackled with energy for a bit before he assumed his stance.

"Now…" He growled. "Feel the power of Genmu X!"

"Screw you power!" XXR shouted.

Then, the two charged at each other. Genmu quickly took the upper hand by getting XXL first, who didn't react in time. He then punched and kicked XXR in the stomach and threw him into XXL. He then kneed the two in their faces, causing the two to be sent back. Genmu slowly approached them, but the SAO gang got in his way.

"You're not getting near them!" Leafa declared.

Genmu growled, and just smashed the two buttons on his BugVisor. They sent a standby noise, before he smashed the B button.

 **CRITICAL DEAD!**

Around the Ex-Aids, a black shadow appeared below their feet. Then, out of the shadows, appeared Genmu. Multiple Genmus. They would grab hold of XXR and XXL, and they would not let go.

"Hey!" XXR ordered. "What's going on?"

"There are so many…" Poppy winced.

"Well, we zombies are quite famous for mass replication, no?" Genmu chuckled.

Then, the Genmus turned into shadows as they finally stuck XXR and XXL back to back. Then, they reverted back to one Ex-Aid, and the Gamer Driver began to corrod and turn into a dark shade of brown. Emu groaned, and then he fell on his knees. The Gamer Driver clacked on the ground, smoking.

"Ex-Aid!" Kirito shouted.

"Are you okay?" Asuna asked.

As they helped Ex-Aid, Genmu chuckled again.

"I fried your Driver." He said. "You can no longer transform…"

Genmu stood up, and chuckled.

"I will let you live though." He admitted. "Consider it a reward for your cooperation."

And with that, Genmu disappeared in a black smoke.

The SAO gang then ignored this for now, and just focused on helping Ex-Aid. From afar, Pallad was watching the whole thing go down.

"Well, well, well…" he admitted. "Your game has finally reached your final level!"

Brave was still fighting the Genmu and the Bugster mooks in front of the GENM Corp building. Shino and Nico also came out to see what was going on. Brave had Genmu on the ropes, but then, he stopped as he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Genmu used that opening to kick him back. Brave was then sent out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

"Oh no…!" Nico stuttered.

But they were surprised by who approached them. Dan Kuroto slowly walked towards the entrance. The Genmu then just pixelated inside of him and the remaining Bugster mooks followed him inside.

Dan then sat at his desk, back in his office.

"I'm home…" He whispered to no one in particular.

He then raised his hand. It was holding a green Gashat. The artwork was blank. But it only had this title: Kamen Rider Chronicle.

"Soon, my world will be completed…!" He announced.

Back outside, Shino had taken Taiga, Hiro, and Nico a safe distance from the building.

"Looks like this fight just got a lot harder, huh?" Nico commented.

"There's no way we can get to him now…" Taiga groaned.

Then, the heroes looked up to see the GENM Corp. building, standing menacingly as the sun set.

 _ **(Special Thanks to dandyalif124 for helping me write this chapter)**_


	31. Let's Get Mighty!

Chapter 31: Let's Get Mighty!

The situation was pretty grim. The tension in the air is so thick, you could slice it in half with your arm. But, that wasn't the point. Right now, Hiro, Emu, Taiga, Nico, and the SAO gang were in Hiro's office, currently having a live chat with Dr. Hinata Kyotarou, the Head of the Ministry of Defense.

"I have something important to tell you all." He said. "Unless you can stop Dan Kuroto and his plan in the next two days, you will al be discharged from CR, and lose your rights as Kamen Riders."

Everyone grimaced when they heard that.

"Why is that, sir?" Kazuto asked.

"This is for two reasons." Dr. Kyotarou replied. "One is that you ignored a direct order from the Ministry, and let Dan Kuroto escape."

"The second reason is the destruction of the Gamer Driver, a very important asset." He finished.

"And, considering my position, I'm afraid I can't bail you out this time." He added. "Please understand."

"We're sorry as well…" Emu replied sheepishly.

Meanwhile, Dan was sitting in his office, seemingly looking at something. He was looking at his screen, holding the blank black and green Gashat on one hand.

"Just two more…" He growled. "And then… my world will be finished…!"

He then grabbed his AmuSphere, and began his link.

Back with our heroes, they were still trying to figure out how to deal with the whole things with Dan. Taiga had his phone out, and apparently, he had an app that kept track of all of his items. And the picture that the screen first showed was the blank Gashat he made in the previous chapter.

"We're going to need this Gashat if we're going to have a shot at beating him…" He muttered.

Taiga then sent the picture toward one of the monitors. It projected the blank silver Gashat largely.

"Wait, what's that Gashat?!" Suguha asked.

"It's been coded with the program the coroner left behind." Hiro replied.

"Wait, Kiriya did?" Ryotaro said.

"Yeah." Sinon replied. "He formulated with a method of reprogramming from a medical standpoint in order to fight the Bugsters."

"Repro-, reprogramming?" Rika stuttered. "What's that?"

"Basically, a way to rewrite a Bugster's DNA?" Kazuto mentioned.

"Precisely." Hiro confirmed.

"If it only worked though." Nico added. "Taiga tried it, but zilch."

Just then, a small alarm went off. It was the Bugsters.

"We have to go!" Emu shouted.

Then, one by one, all of the SAO players left the office.

"Asuna." Hiro called.

"Hm?" Asuna muttered, stopping.

"You and I will stay behind and figure out what that Gashat is capable of." Hiro said.

"Um… why do you need me?" Asuna asked.

"Because I told you to." Hiro replied bluntly, standing up.

He then walked up to Taiga.

"Trade Gashats. Now." He ordered, pulling up his phone.

He tapped it around to get to the Gashat Gear Dual β.

"Don't expect too much out of it." Taiga scoffed.

Then, they both pressed the trade button, and the Gashats were exchanged.

The skies of ALO would be beautiful if the setting on the ground were just as beautiful. Random players and NPC were being attacked. By Zombie Bugster mooks. In the midst of that chaos, a player was currently suffering the wrath of Genmu, who had just picked him up by his hair and threw him into a tree. Genmu cackled evilly.

"No one will stand in my way!" He declared.

"Let's fix that!" a voice called.

Genmu lurched back, and saw who the voice belonged to. Ex-Aid, Snipe, Nico, and the SAO gang minus Asuna had just walked up to them.

"You people…" Genmu growled.

"Okay, this is just crazy." Nico commented.

"Ex-Aid…" Genmu groaned. "Quite gutsy of you to show up here without your Gamer Driver…"

"Heh." Ex-Aid laughed. "I've got one right here."

He then put on another Gamer Driver.

"It's the one Kiriya gave me!" He shouted.

"Oh…" Genmu admitted. "I guess that was a loose end I never did got around to."

"Now…" Ex-Aid said. "It's time to fulfill my promise to him!"

He flipped out his Gashat and pressed it.

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! XX!**

Snipe scoffed, only pulled out his Gashat. He flipped the knob downward.

 **BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!**

 **I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP!**

Both game areas spread out, and both Riders than transformed.

"Henshin!" Ex-Aid called.

"Phsae 50." Snipe said. "Henshin."

 **DOUBLE GASHATTO!**

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

Then, the two opened up their Gamer Drivers.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!**

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **SCRAMBLE DA! SHUTSUGEKI! HASSHIN! BANG BANG SIMULATION! HASSHIN!**

Snipe first transformed into his Level 2 form, and then, the small battleship attached itself onto him.

Meanwhile, Ex-Aid transformed into his chibi Level 10 body. But then, he closed his Driver back up.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaai…" He said. "Henshin!"

He then opened it again.

 **GACHANN! DOUBLE UP!**

 **ORE GA OMAE DE! OMAE GA ORE DE! WE ARE! MIGHTY, MIGHTY BROTHERS! HEY! DOUBLE X!**

Ex-Aid split into XXL and XXR again, and the two posed before they ran towards the massive horde of Genmu and his zombies.

"We'll finish with super co-op!" The two Ex-Aids said.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, Asuna was busy looking at some of the notes that Kiriya made, while Hiro was checking out his laptop. They tried hard, but the harder Asuna tried to study them, she couldn't make heads or tails out of this.

"Uh…" Asuna muttered. "This makes no sense…"

She just slammed her head on the table, smoke bellowing out of her head.

Hiro, meanwhile, had finally picked another document, titled _Notes on the Relatinship between Emu Hojo and the Bugster Virus – Kujo Kiriya._

"No way…" Hiro muttered.

Asuna looked up only to see that Hiro ran to his AmuSphere and got on the bed. Realizing something finally had stuck together, Asuna, a bit groggily, but surely, grabbed her stuff and made her way back home.

Back in ALO, things were looking bad. XXL and XXR took on Genmu, while the other tried to deal with the mooks as well as getting players to safety.

XXL and XXR tried their best. They tried punching, kicking, and even doing some double co-op moves to trip him up, but Genmu only retaliated by just slamming the two in their abdomens over and over.

Snipe, on the other hand, were trying to deal with the mooks with Sinon and Kirito. Snipe fired, and Sinon assisted with an arrow, but that did nothing to the mooks, as when they took the blow, they just fell down, and got back up really fast.

"Even the mooks are immortal now?!" Snipe exclaimed, punching some off of him.

Leafa and Klein were doing some slashing as well, but they were getting pushed back as well.

"They just keep coming!" Leafa shouted.

XXR and XXL flipped into the air and landed on their backs. They got back up, only for Genmu to knee-kick them in their chests, sending them back again.

"Will you just fall already?!" XXR shouted.

Genmu cackled.

"Intern!" a voice shouted.

XXL looked behind him and saw an object flying towards him. He caught it and found out that it was the blank Gashat that Snipe had created. Then, Asuna and Brave walked in.

"You have to use it!" He called.

Genmu saw this, and his god complex took over again.

"You… you…!" He began. "You DARE create another Gashat without the Game Master's knowledge?!"

Brave then summoned the Gashacon Sword to his hand, and charged at Genmu.

"You created Mighty Brothers XX!" He shouted. "How that happened lies within you!"

"Within me…?" XXL muttered.

Asuna then chimed in. She jabbed a few critical spots on Genmu with her rapier, cuasing Genmu to fall onto his knees.

"You must've had that idea before!" She called. "Remember!"

XXL looked down at the Gashat.

"Hey, is that true, bro?" XXR asked.

XXL thought harder, and then it came to him.

"Yes!" XXL said. "When I was small, I loved thinking up ideas for new games!"

"A pair of heroes… one green and one orange…!" XXL stated.

Genmu finally threw Asuna and Brave off of him. Brave looked back. This confirmed this theory.

"Just as I thought…" He said. "With that said, you should be able to use that Gashat!"

The two Ex-Aids looked at each other. They nodded, and then they stood up. They closed their Drivers up and then opened them again, uniting them to into the Level 10 chibi form. He inserted the Gashat inside, and then closed the Driver. He opened it, but nothing happened.

"Come on!" He quipped.

He opened and closed the Driver several times, but then, the last time, sent him out of his transformation.

Everyone else was seeing this, and they were taken aback.

"Brave!" Snipe called. "Looks like you got it wrong!"

"That's impossible!" Brave said.

"He's right!" Asuna complied. "Kiriya looked everywhere regarding Emu! And that's because he was looking for the first strain of the Bugster Virus!"

Pallad, from afar, confirmed this.

"And that is _exactly_ how Lazer got himself killed." He smiled.

"That virus within you is the source of all Bugsters and Gashats!" Brave added. "You should be able to make a new Gashat!"

Ex-Aid winced, and stood back up. He then opened the Driver. Nothing happened. He kept on trying, but nothing happened.

"Please…!" He whined. "You have to work!"

Genmu cackled, and then he just shoved the two Undine players aside.

"I will not allow that power to exist!" He screeched. "I shall wipe it off the face of this world!"

Brave struggled up, but Asuna got up quickly. She ran forward as Brave pulled out another Gashat.

Asuna stood in front of Genmu bravely, and lifted her rapier. She then began to perform several strikes at Genmu, giving Brave an opportunity to level up.

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

 **GACHANN! GASHATTO!**

He then opened the Driver up again.

 **GACHANN LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

Brave received Dragon armor, and also tried to push back Genmu. Ex-Aid continued to open and close his Driver, with nothing happening yet again.

"This isn't working!" Sinon shouted, who was watching from afar.

Genmu had had enough. He grabbed the Sparrow and began to just slam the weapon into both Brave and Asuna's torsos. Once they were thrown aside, Genmu fired two laser arrows. Asuna quickly took action. She used the rapier to block the two arrows but the rapier shattered in the process.

"Is that all Level X has to offer?" Asuna taunted.

Genmu groaned, and Brave quickly slashed and fired a laser bolt into Genmu. Genmu then just kicked Brave into Asuna and sent a powerful energy slash. Both were knocked back, with Brave cancelling out.

 **GASHUNN!**

"Asuna!" Kirito shouted, trying to make his way to his girlfriend.

"Kirito! Stop!" Liz ordered. "We need you here!"

Kirito winced, and stepped back.

"I will now… Obliterate that Gashat!" Genmu cried.

Ex-Aid stepped back slowly.

"EMU!" Brave shouted.

Ex-Aid looked back, and Brave slowly stood back up.

"Emu!" Brave yelled again. "Are you just going to accept that fate? The coroner trusted everything in you!"

Ex-Aid looked back at Genmu, who cackled outloud as he slowly walked towards him. He then remembered all of the things and memories Kiriya and he made.

"Kiriya's hope…" Ex-Aid whispered. "I will not let it go to waste!"

Then, his eyes glowed red. The Gashat also glowed a bit. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their attention towards them.

"I'm going to change my fate…" Ex-Aid said. "With my own hands…"

Then, inside his DNA stream, it glowed from orange and green, to pure pink. He was emitting a pink aura as that aura was slowly absorbed into the Gashat. Once that was done, the Gashat changed. It got a name, the bottom became black, and the top became gold. The top slowly opened, revealing a small Ex-Aid. The Gashat ejected and leapt into his hands. The game art then pixelated onto the Gashat. Everyone became wide-eyed when that happened.

"No…" Genmu muttered. "Impossible…! Hojo Emu…!"

"Looks like he actually did it." Snipe whispered.

Ex-Aid pressed the Gashat, and smiled.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!**

A gold game area spread all over, and Ex-Aid immediately inserted the Gashat into his Driver.

"Henshin." He said.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO!**

After a brief moment of wait, he opened the Driver up.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!**

 **SAIDAIKYUU NO POWERFUL BODY! DARIRAGAN! DAGOZUBAN!**

Then, a large object pixelated into the air. It looked rather blocky, as it just floated in the air for a short bit. And it appeared to have face?

 **SAIDAIKYUU NO POWERFUL BODY!**

Ex-Aid then punched the Ex-Aid down, activating the object in the air.

 **MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

Ex-Aid jumped into the air, right up to where the object is. The object then opened up, and Ex-Aid flipped inside, curling up into a ball. Then, the object closed again. And, after a brief moment, the object then sprouted a legs and arms. Then, with Ex-Aid's head popping out, he landed on the ground with a thud that shook the earth.

"I have maxed out my level." Ex-Aid said. "Level… 99!"

Everyone literally froze at that declaration. Poppy, who had been with some other players, counted with her fingers to see how much that was.

"That's the highest you can go!" Nico shouted.

Ex-Aid then pressed the button the side of the belt.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

The area around them suddenly became an empty lot. Genmu cackled as another Zombie Bugster mooks materialized around him.

"Raise your level all you want…" He moaned. "You cannot defeat my immortal army!"

The Bugsters than all clambered onto each other and turned into a giant monster. It had a gun and a fist for hands, and a tail shaped like a flail. The monster roared, and then it charged. It went for a punch, but Ex-Aid also countered with a punch. The fist dissolved into nothing, but the monster regenerated it quickly. But Ex-Aid jumped up and landed another punch, right onto its head. The monster was launched back as it hit Genmu along the way and straight into a warehouse, exploding it. However, that didn't stop it, as both Genmu, and the monster regenerated their health.

"Genmu!" Ex-Aid called, pulling out the KeySlasher. "It's time to beat this game!"

He pressed the yellow button on the KeySlasher.

 **ZYU-KYU-KYU-KYUN!**

He then inserted the Maximum Gashat into the KeySlasher.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Ex-Aid then slowly pointed the KeySlasher at the oncoming opposition.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!**

When he pulled the trigger, it created a bubble around both the giant Bugster monster and Genmu. Then they both began to pixelate, and when the bubble popped, Genmu landed on his feet, while the Bugster monster dissolved back into the mooks.

"What… is this power…?!" Genmu spluttered.

Then, he felt something. He looked to his chest, where his Rider Gauge glowed.

"Impossible…!" He shouted.

"His HP is filled again!" Leafa called from afar.

"I've reprogrammed your immortality!" Ex-Aid said triumphantly.

"No…!" Genmu cried.

The ones fighting the mooks from before then came in.

"Well, this is a shock." Sinon commented.

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Snipe replied.

Sinon then drew her most powerful arrow, while Snipe just closed his Driver and then opened it again.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

 **GACHANN!**

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FIRE!**

Both former GGO players aimed at Genmu and the Bugster mooks, and then they fired. Explosions consumed the mooks, but Genmu was just simply knocked back.

"No…!" He groaned, jabbing the Sparrows into the ground to stand up.

Ex-Aid then ran up and just punched Genmu through a wall and into another one. Ex-Aid got into his face again and kicked him into another set of debris, sending his HP down to one bar.

"Looks like we got a winner." Kirito commented.

Ex-Aid stared down at Genmu. But then, he did something completely suprising. He closed the Gamer Driver, and pulled out the Gashat.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Ex-Aid then reverted back into his ALO body, which shocked everybody. The surrounding field reverted back into the same plaza that they first arrived in.

"Let's just end this." Ex-Aid suggested.

Snipe was baffled by this. He then just went into Ex-Aid's face.

"Are you out of your mind?!" He cried. "If you don't defeat him now, you lose your status as a Kamen Rider!"

"I'm a doctor before I'm a Kamen Rider!" Ex-Aid retorted.

Ex-Aid then turned back to Genmu, who had just cancelled out of his transformation. He was groaning like an animal.

"I just can't take your life like that." He said. "So I'm going to ask you this once: Please, face the consequences for taking all the lives you did, and atone for your sins."

Genmu then chuckled.

"To me…" He began. "You are all sinners!"

He then slowly stood up, and his mind took over his body.

"I am a god!" He declared. "My talents must be preserved into form! Opposing me… is the biggest sin you could ever commit!"

And with one smokescreen, he disappeared into thin air. Ex-Aid stepped up and just yelled his name.

Pallad sighed. He had an empty bag of popcorn by his side, and then he just threw it aside.

"Man… and we were just getting to the good part…" He sighed. "Humans are such a mystery…"

And with that, he pixelated away.

Snipe then just punched Ex-Aid. Klein and Kirito quickly caught him though.

"Some doctor you are!" He scolded. "That was our moment to finally crush him!"

Asuna helped up Brave, and then Leafa healed him.

"As doctors, our job isn't to take lives." He reminded.

"Okay, that's true and everything." Nico chimed in. "But you do realize if you don't defeat him, there's going to be more victims?"

Snipe sneered, and then he just looked down.

"Take your pick." He said. "His life, or lives of many innocents?"

Ex-Aid winced, but he knew he had to answer.

"I can't choose one over the other." He answered. "We're talking lives here."

Snipe scoffed, and then just walked away. Nico troddled after him, and left the others to themselves.

Elsewhere, Genmu was stumbling all over the place just to walk. He was yelping like a zombie at that too.

"Where…" He groaned. "Where are Drago Knight Hunter Z and DoReMiFa Beat's infecteds?"

"Where are they?!" He screamed.

He tripped, and finally landed on a rock. He was groaning. But then he looked up. He saw an entire party of players just chilling out and hanging out together. He saw an opportunity. He pulled out his BugVisor. He looked at the screen, and made sure that DoReMiFa Beat and Drago Knight Hunter Z was cast. He then exhausted a toxic green colored smoke towards that party of players, infecting them all simultaneously. He was overjoyed by the sight.

Ex-Aid, Kirito, and Klein ran down a pathway in a forest. The group had split up to look for Genmu. Leafa, Lisbeth, and Silica went one way, Asuna and Brave in another, while Sinon had gone with Snipe. Ex-Aid also had Poppy go with Brave, just in case.

"So…" Klein started. "Just how do we find this guy again?"

"We're just going to have to look everywhere." Kirito said.

Soon, they came to split. Two paths.

"Alright, we'll have to split up here." Ex-Aid suggested. "You guys go that way, and I'll go this way."

"Right." Klein said.

And with that, Klein set off first. Kirito stayed however. He had something to say to Ex-Aid.

"Hey, can I say something?" He asked.

"What's up?" Ex-Aid replied.

"Well…" Kirito muttered. "That was pretty mazing how you talked about life like that."

"I am doctor; I should know this stuff." Ex-Aid chuckled.

"And I'm an SAO Survivor." Kirito reminded. "Believe me, I know what you're talking about."

And with that, the two shook hands, and they split. Kirito went down the path Klein did, while Ex-Aid went down the other path.

He must've gone a good mile or so. When he stopped to take a break, he just had a thought.

'Even if I find him though…' He thought. 'How am I supposed to beat him?'

"Okay, I don't get it." Began a voice. "Are you that spineless, or is he that intimdating?"

Ex-Aid looked around and saw Pallad standing right behind him.

"Pallad!" Ex-Aid said, pulling out the Mighty Brothers XX Gashat.

"Whoa, whoa, easy tiger." He said. "I'm not here to fight, just to chat."

Ex-Aid put his Gashat back down, and Pallad began to talk.

"Look, I'll say this right now." He said. "We Bugster want him gone just as much as you do."

"Eh…?" Ex-Aid muttered.

"He's got a God Complex the size of the sky, which made him a real pain in my ass lately." Pallad said.

"His soul is as broken as his body and mind at this point." Pallad went on. "Finishing off an empty husk of a human body doesn't count as taking a life."

Pallad then got close to Ex-Aid.

"You're not going to forgive him for Lazer, right?" He asked.

"I…" Ex-Aid began.

Then, a message popped up. But before he had a chance to read it, Pallad put his hand on his shoulder.

"If ya don't beat the final boss, this world ain't getting a happily ever after." He reminded. "Use your powers…"

He then whispered, straight into his ears.

"… and kill Genmu." He uttered.

And with that, Pallad vanished into thin air. Ex-Aid stood there. A storm was going through his mind. He now knew what he was going to do next.

Dan watched as his Bugster mooks attacked the players he had just infected.

"Bugster… come on out now…" He growled. "You will defy me no longer!"

Just then, Snipe, Nico, and Sinon walked up. Genmu lurched his head to face them.

"Look at how pathetic he has become…" Snipe muttered. "I will end him right now!"

"And so you continue to defy your god…" Genmu growled.

He put on the BugVisor, and pressed the Gashat.

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

Genmu breathed in heavily, and then inserted the Gasht into the BugVisor.

"Hen… shen…" He moaned.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP!**

 **DANGER! DANGER! GENOCIDE! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

Genmu turned into his Zombie Gamer form, and immediately summoned the Sparrow into his hands. Snipe raised the Gashat Gear Dual β, but Sinon then walked up and grabbed something off of him.

"Hey!" He called.

"Sorry." Sinon replied. "But you're not the only one who wants a piece of him."

She stepped forward, and looked at her hand. It was the Bang Bang Shooting Gashat. She first breathed in. She then raised the Gashat up to her face, and pressed it.

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

A blue game area spread out, and then she pressed the Gashat again.

 **BABABANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

Then, a neon yellow sash appeared. It wrapped around her neck, and down her left arm. She also received several pieces of navy blue armor. Then, something appeared in her hand.

 **GASHACON MAGNUM!**

Sinon raised her hand. She felt the trigger slightly. She breathed in, and then out. Then, with no remorse, Sinon began to shoot down the Zombie Bugster mooks.

'Looks like her trauma isn't stopping her anymore.' Snipe thought.

Sinon, after a bit of shooting, began to kick and punch. But when the mooks began to overpower her, Snipe saw this was his chance. He flipped the knob down.

 **BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!**

 **I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP!**

The small battleship rained fire upon the Bugster mooks, giving Sinon some breathing space.

 **I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP!**

"Phase 50." He said. "Henshin."

He inserted the Gashat into the Driver, and then opened it.

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **SCRAMBLE DA! SHUTSUGEKI! HASSHIN! BANG BANG SIMULATION! HASSHIN!**

Snipe then began to charge at Genmu. Sinon saw this, and quickly got in his way. In the nick of time, Brave, Asuna, and Poppy arrived.

"Snipe! Stop it!" Poppy shouted.

Brave put on his Gamer Driver, and pulled out two Gashats.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

"Proceeding to Level 5!" He said quickly. "Henshin!"

He inserted the Gashats and opened the Driver.

 **GASHATTO! GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

Brave transformed into his Level 2 body, and then the Dragon parts attached themselves onto him. He quickly ran up and also blocked Snipe.

"We don't have to kill him!" He ordered. "We just have to take his Gashats!"

"Out of my way, you naïve swine!" Snipe called.

"You damn low-lives…" Genmu growled, pulling out a Gashat and inserting it into the Sparrow.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Then, several Treble clefs appeared on the barrels of the Sparrows. Genmu aimed it viciously at them.

"Do not defy me!" He yelled.

 **DOREMIFA CRITICAL FINISH!**

Genmu fired. Sinon managed to roll out of the way, but Snipe and Brave took the attack head on. They held on for a bit, before they were all knocked back. Sinon saw this, and immediately begin to make a counter. She pressed the A Button on the Magnum, turning it into a rifle.

 **ZU-KYUNN!**

Genmu just threw the DoReMiFa Beat Gashat aside, and then inserted the next Gashat in.

"Get out of my sight!" He yelled again.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Sinon also inserted a Gashat into the Magnum.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Then, the two aimed at each other with all the murderous look in their eyes.

 **JET CRITICAL FINISH!**

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FINISH!**

Sinon fired a powerful bullet blast, while Genmu fired a flurry of missiles. Both attacks met at a stalemate, but then, it resulted in an explosion, causing both of them to be knocked back. Genmu lost the Jet Combat Gashat in the process.

Then, out of nowhere, Pina flew in and grabbed the Gashat in the air. Following that, Silica, Liz, and Leafa dropped down from the sky, and slashed down Genmu. Genmu grabbed Leafa by her wing, and threw her into a wall. He then just grabbed Liz's wrist, and threw her into Silica, who was running towards him.

Again, Kirito and Klein dropped in, but Genmu was prepared for those two. He simply deflected their slashs with the Sparrows, and then just cut them up all over their torsos. Asuna then darted forward, driving her rapier right by Genmu's head. Genmu grabbed Asuna by her hair, and then just kicked her straight at Kirito, who caught her.

"No…" He moaned. "I'm so close… to my ambitions…!"

Then, everyone saw who was approaching. Ex-Aid walked in slowly, with a grim look on his face.

"Hojo Emu…" Genmu growled.

"Genmu." Ex-Aid greeted.

He then put on his Gamer Driver and pulled out a Gashat.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!**

A gold game area spread again, and Ex-Aid got into a stance.

"I'm going to change your fate… with my hands!" He announced.

"Max Dai Henshin!" He called.

He then inserted the Gashat.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO!**

He then opened the Driver.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!**

 **SAIDAIKYUU NO POWERFUL BODY! DARIRAGAN! DAGOZUBAN!**

Ex-Aid transformed into his Level 2 body, and then the large object from before appeared over him again, with the eyes glowing.

 **SAIDAIKYUU NO POWERFUL BODY!**

Ex-Aid looked up, and then he slammed down the Ex-Aid on the Gashat.

 **MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

The object then ate Ex-Aid. The arms and legs sprouted forth again, and then Ex-Aid's head popped up. After a brief pause, he pressed the button on the side.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

The area changed into a quarry of some kind. The Riders, and the SAO gang were transported there.

"Tell you what…" Genmu groaned. "Immortality is not the only thing that a zombie has!"

He then emitted a black smoke, and that black smoke formed into three Genmus. They all first went for Ex-Aid, but he just swatted them out of the way. One ended up in front of Brave, another in front of Snipe, and the last one in front of the SAO gang. The real one went for Ex-Aid.

Ex-Aid then slowly began to approach Genmu. Genmu tried to use the Sparrows to slash, but Ex-Aid kept on punching. Genmu never got a chance to use an attack, as Ex-Aid kept on punching his arms away.

"Is he… actually doing it?" Snipe muttered.

Brave nodded, and just charged at the Genmu Zombie in front of him. Snipe also shot down the Genmu Zombie in front of him. The SAO gang did the same with their own Genmu Zombie.

Ex-Aid landed one more punch to Genmu's abdomen. Genmu stopped himself by stabbing the ground with the Sparrows.

"Ex-Aid!" He bellowed.

"Genmu!" Ex-Aid called back.

Genmu inserted a Gashat into the Sparrow.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Genmu charged the Sparrows and prepared for a strike.

 **GIRIGIRI CRITICAL FINISH!**

Genmu then sent out a powerful energy slash, which hit Ex-Aid with the force of a bomb. But when the smoke and the explosion cleared, Genmu waited for the results. Ex-Aid was still standing there. Triumphantly.

Ex-Aid then began to run forward. He punched the Sparrows out of Genmu's hands and double-punched him in the gut. He then punched the ground to send Genmu up into the air. He then looked up, and closed his Driver.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

Snipe continued to fire down on his Gemnu Zombie, and soon, the zombie was pushed to a wall. He smirked, and closed the Driver.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

Brave sliced and diced his Genmu Zombie, and to wrap it up, he fired an energy blast to his chest. The Genmu Zombie growled, and jumped into the air for an aerial attack. Brave pulled out the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat, and inserted it to the side of the belt.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Leafa was on the ground, on her back. The Genmu Zombie was right on top of her. She blocked its hands with her katana, but the Zombie was beginning to overpower her. Silica and Liz jumped in and kicked it off of her straight in the side. The Genmu Zombie rolled, but quickly got back up. Klein slashed twice, then flipped away. Kirito and Asuna both darted forward fast, and the two stabbed the Genmu Zombie in the chest.

"Sinon, now!" Kirito shouted.

"Right!" Sinon called.

She then grabbed the Magnum and inserted the Gashat into it.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FINISH!**

Sinon dug her feet into the ground, and tightened the grip on the Magnum. She pulled the trigger. The bullet tore right through the Genmu Zombie, killing it instantly.

 **DRAGO KNIGHT CRITICAL STRIKE!**

Brave sprouted dragon wings, and then flew up towards his Genmu Zombie. He fired several more laser blasts, and then he flipped around and dug his feet right through its body.

 **GACHANN!**

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FIRE!**

Snipe charged his cannons. And with one beep on his targeting visor, he pulled the trigger. The Genmu Zombie was obliterated due to the sheer force of firepower.

 **GACHANN!**

 **MAXIMUM CRITICAL BREAK!**

Ex-Aid jumped up. He first grabbed Genmu, and then he flung him downwards, towards the ground. But before Genmu even reached the ground, Ex-Aid tore right through him with a kick. Ex-Aid landed on the ground, as Genmu just landed on his stomach. Then, with one groan, Genmu exploded into a giant ball of fire. The smoke and explosion was the largest one they've ever made in a while. Once the sound had died down, the Riders cancelled out of their transformations.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

When the area reverted back to normal, Sinon used this chance to return the Bang Bang Shooting Gashat back to Snipe, who took it back calmly. Then, they all turned around and saw Genmu, cancelled out of his transformation, struggling.

"It's… not over…!" He groaned.

He pulled out the Dangerous Zombie Gashat, and pressed it. But strangely, nothing happened. The Gashat did not activate. Genmu tried to press it, but still, the Gashat did not respond.

"No… what is happening?!" He yelped.

Ex-Aid smiled.

"I used the reprogramming to get rid of your Bugster antibody." He explained. "You're no longer a compatible user, so you cannot use those."

Everyone became wide-eyed. Out of all the solutions they had, which either involved defeating and killing, the one solution they never thought of was taking away the guy's power.

"Even if you're like this, I don't think you're a bad person." Ex-Aid went on. "You're just a game creator who loves games from the bottom of his heart."

Genmu shuddered a bit. While he did not say outloud, it was true. He did love creating games. He just wanted to share his talents with the world…

"He's too pure for this…" Liz whispered to Silica.

"I think that's what makes him a good person thought!" Silica smiled.

"Oh. So that's it." said a voice. "You're just spineless."

Pallad walked up in front of Genmu. The Riders and the SAO gang got apprehensive. Pallad picked up Genmu over his shoulder.

"Pallad…" Kirito whispered.

"No game ends like this." Pallad chuckled.

And with that said, he turned to Genmu, and landed a powerful punch right into his gut. Genmu belched, and dropped the Dangerous Zombie Gashat in the process. Pallad then just let him fall onto the ground, detaching the BugVisor from his waist.

"The loser always gets the bad ending, right?" He smiled, picking up the Dangerous Zombie Gashat.

He then inserted it into the BugVisor.

 **GASAHTTO!**

He then pointed the BugVisor straight at Genmu. The BugVisor then spewed out a dark purple cloud, and it swept all over Genmu's body. Genmu cried and groaned from the pain. Then, the most shocking thing happened. He began to pixelate out of existence.

"Stop!" Ex-Aid ordered.

Pallad didn't. He just summoned the same cloud over him and Genmu, covering them. The heroes couldn't approach them anymore.

"No… no!" Genmu cried. "I don't want to die! I can't!"

Pallad smirked, and just patted his back.

"Thanks for your hard work, _game master_." He said, putting emphasis on what he called Genmu. "I'll take over Kamen Rider chronicle for ya."

And with that, Pallad pixelated away, with the cloud fading as well. The heroes were revealed to a Genmu, who was flailing around madly.

"Genmu… Kuroto…" Ex-Aid uttered.

Genmu, summoning his last breath, glared down at the heroes.

"I… am… a god!" He said.

Summoning his last bit of strength, he stood up on his knees.

"And… I… am… IMMORTAL!" He screamed to the top of his lungs.

He then just bellowed out random sounds as he just pixelated into nothingness, with his real body going along with it.

 **GAME OVER…**

 _(Cue Excite! In the back ground)_

Everyone was speechless at what just happened. Another Rider just vanished, or, dare they say, _died_ , right in front of them. No one uttered a word.

The ALO orange sunset sky, soon became black, with the stars twinkling and the moon shining. In the dark streets, Snipe and Nico were walking down a dimly lit village. Snipe had the Jet Combat Gashat in his hands.

"I guess… it's over, right?" Nico spoke.

"Far from it." Snipe corrected. "Our fight is not over until the Bugsters are extinct."

IR, Pallad was chilling out on the GENM Corp CEO's office. He was sitting on the desk, raising a blank green and black Gashat into the air, with only the title: Kamen Rider Chronicle.

"Genmu…" HE declared. "I'll finish your dream!"

Back to ALO, Brave, Ex-Aid, Poppy, and the SAO gang were in Brave's mansion, getting praises from the Ministry.

"Well done, all of you!" Hinata said. "I knew I was right to trust you all!"

"Looks like things will finally go back to normal!" Poppy cheered.

The SAO gang cheered as well, but Ex-Aid and Brave were rather quiet. Both were holding the GiriGiri Chanbara Gashat and the DoReMiFa Beat Gashat respectively. Ex-Aid was frowning.

"I… let Kuroto die…" He whispered.

Hinata noticed this.

"Emu, you should be proud." He reminded. "today, you just saved all of humanity."

Brave stood up and walked up to Ex-Aid. He then just placed his hand on his shoulder.

"And it is also our job…" He reminded. "To learn how we cope with the lives that we lost."

Ex-Aid nodded, and Brave left. Ex-Aid then ran out. Poppy tried to go after him, but Brave stopped her.

"Where's Emu going?" Asuna asked.

"I think he needs to be alone." Kirito replied.

Ex-Aid ran out to the flower gardens, and there, he found a spot where no one would see him. He punched the ground, and then he let his tears out. And each drop glistened in the moonlight as they bounced onto the grass.


	32. Ordinal Scale Side Stories

Chapter 32: Ordinal Scale Side Stories

 **(THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MASSIVE, AND I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH,** _ **MASSIVE**_ **SPOILER FOR THE ORDINAL SCALE MOVIE. IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS, YOU SHOULD STOP READING THIS AND GO WATCH IT. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.)**

Kazuto (Kirito) typed some more things onto a computer screen. He was sweating like crazy. He grabbed a cloth and wiped off some of the sweat, and then he went back to work. He finally pressed the "Enter" key, and the screen showed a progress bar, reading: "Transfer: 2%". Kazuto slouched back on his chair and grabbed a bottle of water. He shot down all of the water into his stomach, and he breathed out heavily. Just then, Suguha (Leafa) walked in.

"That hard, huh?" She asked teasingly.

"No… the coding wasn't the hard part." Kazuto moaned. "It's how many times I had to do it was the hard part…"

Suguha giggled, and told her brother to go take a shower. Kazuto complied, and grabbed some fresh clothes out of his closet. He took his time in there, and came out, looking very refreshed. After getting himself together, he went outside for a quick walk. He walked down a couple of blocks, but then he received a text. It was from Asuna.

 _There's a boss coming in about an hour! Wanna come? – Asuna_

Kazuto sighed. He knew she was referring to Ordinal Scale. It has become the latest trend lately, but he wasn't too fond of it. He still prefers the Full-Dive. But, he does compromise whenever he can. So, he just made his way back to his house. There, he grabbed his Augma, told Suguha where he'll be, and left.

His motorcycle rode down the street of his neighbourhood, and slowly entered the city. He looked around, and then found the people he was looking for.

"Hey!" Ryotaro shouted. "Over here!"

Kazuto parked his motorcycle in a safe place, and then walked over. He found Ryotaro (Klein) and his Guildmates from SAO were there. On the side, were Rika (Lisbeth) and Keiko (Silica) talking together, and Asuna walking over.

"Ready to get this boss?" Ryotaro asked.

"Well… more or less…" Kazuto admitted.

"C'mon, dude!" Ryotaro whined. "Where's the energy?"

"Sorry." Kazuto replied. "I've just been busy all day…"

"Don't worry!" Asuna smiled. "This should be enough to get you back on your feet!"

Just then, all the other people around began to get up and preparethemselves. And then, they were yelling something.

"That's our cue!" Rika exclaimed.

"Let's do it!" Keiko complied.

Kazuto sighed, and then, everyone around them yelled the same thing.

"Ordinal Scale, On!"

Then, all of their bodies pixelated. And then the pixlation ended. Their outfits looked different. Kirito was in wearing a white jacket with black pants and shoes, and a sword sheathed on his back. Asuna was also wearing a white jacket, only hers go down a bit past her waist and is with red. She was wearing black leggings, so that's something. Everyone else around them were different as well.

Then, the surrounding area also changed. It changed from a thriving city and into a more past-looking suburban area, something you would see in like Skyrim.

Then, in front of them, a large something also pixelated into the battlefield. A large monster had spawned. It seemed to resemble a scorpion, and it was drooling its green saliva everywhere.

"Well, that's one ugly boss." Klein commented.

"Makes him more worth to beat!" Liz cheered.

Behind the monster, a small drone flew in. It projected something, and then, the rising pop-star, Yuuna appeared. All of the guys, except Kirito, of course, all slightly blushed.

"Everyone, ready?" Yuuna called. "Music: Start!"

Then, the background music kicked in, and the Boss monster began to attack. All of those who had firearms pulled back and rained fire upon it. Those with swords and knives charged in head on. For example, Klein and his Guildmates jumped up and slashed the tail. The monster would then just swat them away, giving Asuna, Silica, and Liz an opening to go for its head. But, it was fruitless, as the monster used its claws to protect its head. He then grabbed hold of them, and threw them, Liz and Silica landed roughly, but Kirito managed to catch Asuna.

"Thanks!" Asuna said.

"You're welcome." Kirito smiled.

"Why does she get special service?" Liz pouted.

But there was time to answer that question, as the Monster sent a shockwave powerful to send all of the players back.

"I don't think this was going to go down easy, man!" shouted one of Klein's Guildmates.

"Oh, really? What was your first clue?" Klein yelled sarcastically.

Just then, an Ordinal Scale player walked in right past them. He bumbled his way around them, careful not to step on any of them.

"Sorry…" He said as he hobbled along. "Oops, sorry… sorry… just making my way over to the monster… sorry…"

When he finally made it, he was ready. He cracked his fists, and then his neck.

"Hey!" Liz called. "Get back! You can't take on the whole thing by yourself!"

"Watch me, Rika." Said the player.

The Player stepped forward a couple paces, and then stopped.

"Wait, how do you know my name?" Liz asked.

That question, on the other hand, was answered. The Player then put on something onto his waist, and pulled out something out of his pocket. It was blocky, almost like a brick of some kind. He stretched it out, and pressed the button on it. The SAO gang immediately recognized who this was.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!**

A gold game area spread all over the area. The players behind the SAO gang were surprised by what they saw. Even Yuuna stopped singing to see what was going on.

"Let's play, shall we?" The player smiled.

He then posed, and then inserted the object onto the belt.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO!**

No more hiding. The player standing in front of everyone was none other than the Genius Gamer M, AKA Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, Emu Hojo.

"Max Dai Henshin!" He called.

He then opened up the Driver.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!**

 **SAIDAIKYUU NO POWERFUL BODY! DARIRAGAN! DAGOZUBAN!**

Emu transformed into Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Level 2 body, and then the large object appeared over him, with the pair of eyes glowing.

 **SAIDAIKYUU NO POWERFUL BODY!**

Emu looked up, and then he slammed down the Ex-Aid on the Gashat.

 **MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

The object then ate Ex-Aid. The arms and legs sprouted forth again, and then Ex-Aid's head popped up. After a brief pause, the giant Ex-Aid landed on the ground with a thud, shaking the ground a bit.

The monster doesn't seem fazed. It just roared, and then ran towards Ex-Aid.

"You asked for it, pal." Ex-Aid chuckled.

He then ran forward against the monster, and landed a critical punch onto its head. The monster was thrown from in front of him and into the the wall, right behind it.

"Should… we help?" Liz asked.

"I… think he's got it." Kirito muttered.

Hiro was walking home after a quick pitstop at a local convenience store. He had picked up some cup ramen, and was on his way home. He passed by some teenagers who were chatting away about some Boss that appeared in town.

"These kids and their games…" He muttered.

He walked on, and was stopped by a shadowy figure. He was in purple and black, and his hair was silver.

"Who are you?" Hiro asked outloud.

The figure didn't respond. He just looked up with the coldest eyes ever.

"Guess talking won't work." Hiro said.

He then set down his workbag and his cup ramen, and then dusted himself off. He then put his Augma on from his pocket and got ready.

"Ordinal Scale, On!" He called.

His body pixelated and gave him the garments he had in ALO, keeping the same colors of blue. He looked up and saw that the figure was also in Ordinal Scale mode. He noticed that his Rank was 2, and his name was Eiji.

'The Number 2 Ordinal Scale player, huh…?' He thought.

Just then, Eiji darted forward, with his sword out. Hiro quickly dodged, and quickly put on his Gamer Driver.

"No signs of a Bugster out of him…" He observed. "But I have no choice!"

He then pulled out two of his Gashats, and then pressed it.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

Both game area spread all over the area, and it stopped Eiji on his next attack. The Dragon from Drago Knight Hunter Z appeared and it just swatted Eiji, but it did not throw him off balance.

"Proceeding to Level 5." He said. "Henshin!"

He then inserted both of his Gashats into the Gamer Driver.

 **GASHATTO! GASHATTO!**

He then opened the Driver up.

 **GACHANN LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

Hiro transformed into his Kamen Rider Brave Level 2 form, and then the Dragon attached its respective parts onto him. Eiji took a moment to observe his opponent.

"So… the rumors are true…" He whispered. "Brave…"

After that brief pause, the two attacked each other again.

Taiga scowled as he walked down the street. He couldn't believe what he was carrying inside his bag right now: A bag of potato chips, some sodas, batteries, a pack of pencils, and a notebook. Nico had sent him on an errand. The annoying kind. Taiga looked at his phone, and saw that he had one more thing to pick up. A pack of Twizzlers from a candy shop that she always went to. Taiga didn't want to bear with this any longer, so he just decided to make a run for it. He slid across parked cars' hoods, and he even pushed some people past him.

He took a break by a small neighbourhood. He was almost close to his destination. He dropped the bag, and then something unexpected happened. He was grabbed by some thugs who threw him into a dead-end alley. There were three thugs in total.

"Well, well, well…" muttered one of them. "What do we have here?"

"Quiet, you!" scolded another one. "The big bro needs to talk with him!"

The 'big bro' slouched down to pick up Taiga by his shirt. He then set him down.

"What do you want, punk?" Taiga asked.

"What do you think we want, punk?" The big bro asked. "We want money, duh!"

Taiga scoffed. He then used his legs to propel himself out of the big bro's grasp. He back-flipped back onto his feet, and the other two thugs caught their big bro.

"Big bro!" They both called. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, you idiots!" the big bro scoffed.

Taiga dusted himself off.

"Now, are we done here?" He asked condescendingly. "I have something I have to do."

The thugs then gathered together, and then they all surrounded Taiga.

"Ordinal Scale, On!" They all yelled.

Taiga sighed as he also yelled the same thing. The thugs were then armed with a sword, a spear, and a flail, all respectively for one thug.

"We beat you, you haver no other choice, but to give you your money!" The lower thug declared.

"Do really want to mess with me?" Taiga asked again.

He then used that oppurtunity to put on his Gamer Driver.

"Fancy belt…" The big bro commented.

Taiga then pulled out the Gashat Gear Dual β.

"Tell you what!" The big bro called. "We'll take your money, and your fancy items!"

"Good plan, big bro!" agreed the other two thugs.

Taiga sighed.

"Very well." He complied. "If you want to see your graves…"

"Get him!" The big bro shouted.

Then, all three of the thugs jumped at Taiga. He didn't seem to mind, as he only twisted the knob downward.

 **BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!**

 **I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP!**

The small battleship appeared over his head, and it rained fire upon the the thugs, putting them back down onto the ground.

"What the hell?!" The big bro shouted

 **I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP!**

"Phase 50." He said. "Henshin."

He inserted the Gashat into the Driver, and then opened it.

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **SCRAMBLE DA! SHUTSUGEKI! HASSHIN! BANG BANG SIMULATION! HASSHIN!**

Taiga then transformed into his Kamen Rider Snipe Level 2 form, and then the small battleship attached itself onto his torso. That just stunned all of the thugs, making them all wide-eyed.

"Mission start." He announced.

Poppy silently hummed the Ex-Aid theme to herself. She was excited. She was finally in the real world. She was swinging her legs on a ledge of some wall. She stood up, and jumped down. She flashed a bright pink light, and then she grew into her human size. She was in a yellow and white fluffy dress, and pink leggings that went into her skirt. She also had yellow heel boots. Her hair was short, but a bright pink.

"Alright!" She cheered. "Time to do some exploring!"

She then trotted along, clicking her heels along the way. She saw every store, every light, and every car that strolled by. While she was fascinated, she felt alone.

"Emu's off beating that boss…" She sighed.

She went into an anime-depression state, and accidentally ran into someone.

"Oh!" She said. "I'm sorry!"

"No, no, it's quite alright." Said the man. "However, you are quite beautiful."

Poppy looked up, and then stared at the man confusingly.

"Eh?" She muttered.

The man then gave her a business card. It was pink, and had large extravagant words. Poppy just took it cautiously, and read it.

 **GENM CORPORATION CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: AMAGASAKI REN**

After reading that, Poppy was flabbergasted.

"Wait, you're the new president?!" She asked hastily.

Ren chuckled, and then grabbed Poppy's hand.

"My motto is "I love you for the entire world.", my dear." He announced.

"What brings out here, if you don't mind me asking?" Poppy asked.

"Well, we are currently in the development of a new game." Ren explained. "However, we are currently unable to find an artist who would sing it for us."

"Sadly… no one had come to the audition…" Ren sighed. "It is now only a matter of time before we go bankrupt…"

"Bankrupt?!" Poppy spluttered.

"We are betting everything we've got on this new game of ours." Ren continued. "If we don't continue development soon, we won't be able to make new profits!"

"No… I can't allow that!" Poppy exclaimed.

"Thank you for the support." Ren said. "But, what kind of connection do you have with the company?"

"Well…" Poppy suttered. "GENM Corp. is actually my home."

"Home, you say?" Ren said.

"Well, I'm actually a Bugster from DoReMiFa Beat, a game that GENM Corp created." Poppy admitted.

Ren took a few moments to take it in, and then smiled.

"Well, that would explain that irresistible attire you are sporting." He said.

Poppy cringed at that saying, but she went along with it.

"With that said though…" Ren went on.

Ren then twirled and handed Poppy a rose.

"How would you like to sing the theme song?" He asked.

Poppy took a moment to process this.

"Ehhhhhhhhhhhh?" She yelled.

"I assume that's a yes?" Ren asked. "As you are from a rhythm game, you must love music."

"Well…" Poppy struggled to find words. "Singing a theme song is just out of nowhere…"

"You wish to save your home, no?" Ren asked.

"Well, yes!" Poppy answered quickly.

"Then…" Ren said with his voice slightly altering. "You _will help us with our cause… yes…?_ "

Poppy then paused and suddenly became entranced or something. She stared at Ren's eyes until she heard snap coming from Ren's fingers. Her eyes then became pink.

" _Now… let me hear it…_ " Ren said with his voice completely changed. " _Your lovely voice…_ "

Poppy then smiled.

"Okay!" She declared.

Meanwhile, some other people were gathered around, with Ordinal Scale on. They were flipping their weapons around and were raring to get going. Just then, the boss spawned. All of the players flipped their weapons around, getting pumped up. Some were looking around for Yuuna to show up. But, instead of her, Poppy appeared instead.

"Hi, everyone!" She called waving. "Sorry, but Yuuna couldn't make it today!"

Some players groaned with disappointment.

"But, I'll be performing for you guys today!" She called.

Some players then perked up. They were whispering some things, such as "She's pretty cute." And "Can she really sing?"

Just then, the music kicked in. Everyone got a slight boost in their abilities, but it was a tiny bit more than what Yuuna usually gives. The boss roared, and then she began to sing.

 _(Cue PEOPLE GAME)_

 _Kanae rareru yume bakari de_ _  
_ _Afureteta DAYS_ _  
_ _Itsumo miteta wonderland_ _  
_ _Ima wa doko ni aru no?_

The thugs continued their attack on Snipe, but Snipe was having none of that. He would pick up a thug and shoot him. He would then throw him into another thug to shoot again. The Big Bro jumped for a sneak attack, but Snipe's shoulder cannons flipped around and shot him out of the air. Snipe then picked him up by his back collar and then threw him into the other two thugs. He then rained fire on them again.

"Whyyayadda…" The Big Bro spluttered. "Fight us with swords!"

"I have zero reason to get close to you." Snipe replied calmly. "And besides, I don't want your stench on me."

He then raised his cannons and fired them again.

 _Kimi no naka ni kizamareteru_ _  
_ _Arifureta BEAT_ _  
_ _Motto volume agete_ _  
_ _Ano hi no data load shite_ _  
_ _Miyou yo_ _  
_ _Tachi...aga...ru denshi on to_ _  
_ _Kasa...naru...mune no kodou_ _  
_ _Atsuku naru vibration_

Brave was standing still in a blocking position. Eiji was doing a number on him. As Eiji can only be seen as a mere blurr, it is hard to land a critical hit on him. And he tried, swining his blade and firing the Energy blasterHowever, one hit was able to get Brave off of his feet, and then with one more slash, Brave landed on his stomach.

"So this is the power level of the Rank Number 2 of this game…" He muttered.

He then dodged an incoming stab attack from Eiji. He rolled away, and then kicked Eiji away. Brave looked for things that might help him, and then he noticed two Energy Items that might help him.

"This might even the playing field!" He thought aloud.

He quickly ran towards them and received their power ups.

 **SPEED UP! INVISIBLE!**

He then disappeared into thin air. Eiji stopped his attack.

"What…?" He muttered.

He then felt several attacks. He felt a slash on his back, an energy blast to his chest, and then a kick to his side. And with one final slash, Eiji fell on his back. Just then, Brave came into view again. He flicked his wrist, and then continued his attack.

 _Ugokidase PEOPLEGAME_ _  
_ _Kono sekai HEROGAME_ _  
_ _Kakemeguru idenshi no senritsu ninotte_ _  
_ _Maiagare PEOPLEGAME_ _  
_ _Sono tsubasa HEROGAME_ _  
_ _Itsuka mita risou no jibun koete_ _  
_ _Kagayaku mirai e_

Ex-Aid landed one more punch on the Boss's face. He then slashed its claws away, and then kicked it square in the face. The Boss skidded on the ground. It roared at Ex-Aid, and then bolted towards him.

"Oh, shut up already!" He shouted.

He then landed a clean uppercut right on the Boss's jaw. The Boss flipped into the air, making all of the players behind him drop their jaws.

"Whoa…" Klein said.

"And I thought he was good in ALO…" Liz commented.

Even Kirito was amazed. Even he couldn't take on a Boss like that alone.

 _Mabuta no oku yaki tsuiteru_ _  
_ _Akogareta SCENE_ _  
_ _Semete kocchi muite_ _  
_ _"Ima" ni focus shite_ _  
_ _Miyou yo_ _  
_ _Meni...utsu...ru shinrabanshou_ _  
_ _Tsuna... garu... shikou kairo_ _  
_ _Azayaka na imagination_

The crowd of players that Poppy was singing for was getting more pumped by the minute. Now, the comments they were saying ranged from "Wow, she's really hot!" to "Keep up the singing!" and "You're awesome!" Poppy got more and more happy as she kept on singing.

 _Ugokidase PEOPLEGAME_ _  
_ _Kono sekai HEROGAME_ _  
_ _Kimi ga iru haikei mo stage ni kawaru_ _  
_ _Maiagare PEOPLEGAME_ _  
_ _Sono tsubasa HEROGAME_ _  
_ _Itsuka mita risou no jibun koete_ _  
_ _Kagayaku mirai e_

Snipe finally pushed the thugs into the furthest wall on the alleyway. He finally pinned them. Elsewhere, Brave also managed to get Eiji down on his knees. And again, Ex-Aid flipped the Boss around. It was vulnerable.

"Alright…" Snipe said to the thugs. "Now I can teach you all a lesson simultaneously."

"I don't know what your deal is…" Brave said to Eiji, pulling out the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat. "But I'm putting you down here."

"Let's end this, shall we?" Ex-Aid said, pulling out the KeySlasher and the Maximum Gashat.

Snipe closed his Gamer Driver up, and then aimed his cannons at the thugs.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

Brave inserted the Gashat into the slot next to the belt. He pressed the button and picked up two more Energy Items.

 **GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

 **MUSCLE UP! BUNSHIN!**

Ex-Aid then inserted the Maximum Gashat into the KeySlasher. But before that, he pressed the yellow button on the weapon. As he did that, all of the other Ordinal Scale players, other than our main characters, charged in, trying to get the last kill.

 **ZU-KYU-KYU-KYUN!**

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

"P-P-Please, wait!" The Big Bro thug said. "Can we talk this out?!"

Snipe scoffed, and then just opened his Driver again.

 **GACHANN!**

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FIRE!**

Snipe then pulled the trigger, and all of his cannon barrels fire a shell, packed with enough strength to level the area. The area that the thugs occupied were consumed by explosions. When the smoke cleared, the thugs stood up groggily.

"You… will… regret this…" They all said.

Snipe scoffed.

"Boo." He said suddenly.

The thugs then high-tailed it down the street. Snipe just saw them off, and then he just walked back to pick up his bag, cancelling out in the process.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Brave got into his final stance. Then, Brave started to send out mirage clones all around him, making a circle, and subsequently trapping Eiji inside.

 **DRAGO KNIGHT CRITICAL STRIKE!**

Then, all of the Braves then slashed their sword arm and energy cannon arm in an X-shape, sending a powerful attack at Eiji from all directions. When the smoke cleared, the Braves all dissipated and there was only one Brave again. However, Eiji was gone.

Brave looked around, to see if Eiji was around, and then, he just picked up his bag, cancelled out, and went on his way.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Hiro then exited Ordinal Scale, and then he just went on his way. Behind a pillar, Eiji was panting.

"Guess he's going to be a bit harder…" He panted.

All of the Ordinal Scale players clambering over each other to get the final kill. But Ex-Aid never gave them the chance.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!**

Ex-Aid pulled the trigger, sending out a large energy blast. The blast landed on the monster with the force of a wrecking ball, destroying it instantly. All of the players were disappointed, but at least they got a lot of bunce. Ex-Aid cancelled out and reverted back to his Ordinal Scale player form.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

"You guys beat the monster within time!" Yuuna cheered. "You all get points!"

She then floated down to players levels.

"However, the one who dealt the final blow will get 10,000 points, and a kiss from me!" She added.

Yuuna walked over to Emu. And, with a smirk, she planted a small peck on Emu's cheek. Emu blushed intensely, making everyone jealous.

"Congratulations!" She said. "You're today's MVP!"

She then began to pixelate away.

"Well, then! See you around!" She smiled.

After Yuuna had gone, Emu walked towards the SAO gang.

"You lucky son of a gun!" Ryotaro teased, nudging him.

Emu chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

Meanwhile, Poppy had gone up to the final person that killed the Boss in her area. She did the things that Yuuna would do, rewarding points and kissing the player that killed the boss. And then, she pixlated back next to Ren. He was quite pleased with what he saw.

" _From now on…_ " He said again in his altered voice. " _You are our diva…_ "

Then, the two both pixelated away, with no one knowing where they went…

 **(The Final Battle)**

At this point, Kirito, Lisbeth, Silica Agil and Sinon are in the AR world, in the 100th floor of Aincrad, Swort Art Online. They had bashed and smashed, hacked and sacked, and even slashed, but this Boss Monster was almost impossible to defeat. Shortly after, Asuna had joined. Everyone paused for a bit to help her. Sinon continued sniping to distract the Boss. The Boss then turned its attention toward her, and she swung her sword at her.

"Sinon! Look out!" Kirito shouted.

Sinon looked up to see the sword of the Boss commeting down towards her. She braced herself, but then, several energy blast impaced the sword, cuasing the Boss to pull the sword away.

"What the…? "Sinon muttered.

"Y'know, you could try and dodge." Said a voice.

She turned around and saw a familiar looking neon Kamen Rider.

 **BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!**

Snipe just casually walked over next to Sinon.

"Snipe…" Sinon muttered.

"Now, don't worry." Snipe retorted. "It ain't just me."

Sinon looked puzzled. Then, out of nowhere, her old friends from GGO appeared one by one. They were all shooting bullets and rounds at the Boss.

The SAO players down below were confused by what was going on. But then, Leafa and Yui flew in from above.

"Kazuto! Sorry for the wait!" Leafa called.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Yui called. "I brought everyone!"

Then, one by one, all of the other ALO players flew in. Players such as Sakuya, Alicia, and even Eugene came. Others included Klein and Recon. And another Kamen Rider joined them.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

Brave also flew down and landed right in front of the SAO gang.

"Let's get this over with." He said.

"Brave…!" Asuna said.

Brave stood up, and just slashed the Boss's sword away.

"Where's the intern…?" He whispered.

And then, after all of the SAO players and Sinon got their old Avatar selves, they continued fighting the Boss. However, when the Boss was recovering HP, they heard a small something.

 **Saidai kyu no powerful body…**

"Wait…" Kirito started. "Is that…?"

 **Dairagan! Dagozuban!**

Then, they all realized it. Something was coming.

"Everyone!" Kirito shouted. "Get clear!"

"Why?" Agil asked.

"Don't ask! Just do it!" Asuna shouted as well.

Then, in a split second, a familiar giant landed a perfect punch onto the Boss's head, taking one full bar of its HP.

 **MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

Ex-Aid then landed right in front of the Boss's feet, gazing up.

"Wow." He commented. "That's some boss."

"Hey!" Liz called. "Beat it first, then awe about it!"

Then, the rest will go on like it did in the movie. Everyone is attacking the Boss with everything they got. And thanks to the assistance of the Riders, the Boss was taken down a lot more quickly. The gunmen were wearing down the Boss slowly. And anytime it would begin to heal, Snipe would order a full-frontal bullet rain, giving it no time to recover. Then, Brave and the ALO Generals led the first attack, then switching off to the SAO players. Ex-Aid assisted them by launching Kirito and Asuna at the Boss, and he lended the KeySlasher to Kirito. And, in no time at all, the Boss was defeated, and thus leading to the conclusion of the movie.

However, there is more. There are several stories that were left untold until now.

 _Pallad…_

Eiji ran down the parking lot. Since his main power source was ripped off by Kirito, he has no way of defending himself against the monster that his partner had sent. He had been managing to stay out of the monster's grasp, but it was of no use. He finally stopped when he was face-to-face with a wall. He turned around and saw that the monster was about to "kill" him. But before it could, it took an attack to its back.

"Well, aren't you a cranky one?" teased a voice.

Both the monster and Eiji looked at the direction where the voice came from. There stood a blue Rider, who was casually had his hands on his waist. It was Para-DX.

"Let's tone it down, shall we?" He said.

He raised his hands, and a bunch of Energy Items gathered in front of him. He shuffled them around until he found the ones he needed.

"Normally, overkill is not my thing…" He muttered, selecting the Items. "But… I'll make an exception."

 **MUSCLE UP! SPEED UP! METALIZE! BUNSHIN! JUMP POWER-UP! INVISIBLE!**

Para-DX then pulled out his Gashat. Twisting the knob back and forth, he then inserted back and got ready for the finisher.

 **KIMEWAZA! DUAL GASHAT!**

 **PERFECT CRITICAL COMBO!**

Para-DX turned invisible, confusing the monster. Then, the monster experienced all kinds of damage all over his body. It all happened simultaneously, so the monster never got the chance to fight back. Then, with one final roundhouse kick, the monster exploded into shards of glass.

Para-DX returned into view, and then looked at Eiji.

"Huh." He scoffed. "And I thought the number 2 player of this game was promising."

He then said one more thing before he disappeared.

"Guess not everyone's a winner." He said.

Eiji was confused. He had just met two Kamen Riders. But he decided to keep this to himself, not knowing what he can do with that kind of information.

Pallad later found himself in some kind of storage facility. He had the BugVisor in his hand. He raised it into the air, and spewed out eight clouds of the Bugster virus. They all took the shape of the following Bugsters: Salty of Mighty Action X, Alhambra of Taddle Quest, Revol of Bang Bang Shooting, Motors of Bakusou Bike, Gutton of Gekitotsu Robots, Kaiden of GiriGiri Chambara, Vernier of Jet Combat, and Charlie of Shakariki Sports.

"What in the world…?" Salty muttered.

"Hm…" Alhambra whispered.

"Unable to verify location." Revol and Gutton said together.

Motors, Kaiden, Vernier, and Charlie just looked around. Pallad chuckled, and then he pointed the BugVisor to his side. It spewed out another cloud of the Bugster virus, and it took form again. However, it took the form of a familiar face. He was shocked by what happened.

"Pallad!" Graphite spluttered, looking around him. "What happened?"

"Well, I didn't tell Genmu this…" Pallad replied. "But, since you already achieved your complete form, you can be revived at any time."

Graphite thought about it, then smiled.

"So… this must be the puzzle you were talking about." He admitted.

"Bingo!" Pallad cheered.

He then looked around.

 _(Cue Excite! here)_

"Is this everyone?" He asked.

"Not yet…" said a seductive voice.

Everyone turned and saw Ren enter with Poppy by his side. He gently pulled her towards them.

"We now have our final player." Ren said.

Poppy smiled.

"I'm home!" She said.

Pallad was beyond happy right now. He then pulled out he blank green and black Gashat he had got from Genmu and raised it high.

"This is our world now, boys!" He declared.

All of the Bugsters are smiled in unison, all agreeing with what's about to go down. Pallad then turned to the crowd, and pressed the Gashat. All of the Bugsters, including Graphite and Poppy, were all absorbed into the Gashat. They took the spots on what appeared to be a Charater Selection screen. Pallad looked at the Gashat, as the Gashat finally got its box art and its functions activated.

"Kamen Rider Chronicle…" Pallad announced finally. "New Game: Selected!"


	33. Enter the Game!

Chapter 33: Enter the Game!

Emu, with the SAO gang behind him, was speechless at the sight of what he was seeing. Several brown Kamen Riders were fighting the Bugsters, several with his weapons. Salty could be seen among the crowd, and he was having the time of his life. Just then, Pallad walked up beside him.

"Enjoying it, M?" He asked with a smile.

Then, he looked down on him.

"Welcome…" He said.

 _To the ultimate game world…_

 **I've gotta believe!**

(Kirito and Ex-Aid are back to back, facing a horde of Bugsters. They lift their weapons and charge as the title appears)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara**

(The SAO gang are chilling out together in a nearby café)

 **I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(Suddenly, all bystanders all transform into Ride-Players)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far**

(Brave remembers the time that Yuko died, with Asuna's afterimage looking at him; Snipe remembers the time he was defeated by Graphite, with Sinon's afterimage looking at him)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The Riders and the SAO gang together walk towards the horde of Ride Players)

 **The new beginning**

(The Riders hold up their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The Riders transform into their Lv 2 forms)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The SAO gang turn on Ordinal Scale)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(Together, they all charge at the Ride Player horde)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid goes into Lv 20, and splits into XXL and XXR; Brave twirls into Lv 50, sending a bunch of Ride Players back)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Snipe jumps into Lv 50, and rains fire upon the Ride Players; Ex-Aid jumps down in Lv 99, and slams the ground)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(The Ordinal Scale players make their way through the horde one by one)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Klein, Lisbeth, Silica, Agil, and Leafa stay back, while six figures strike a battle-ready pose. Ex-Aid raises the Breaker to his face, while Kirito goes into his battle stance. Asuna also goes into her battle stance, while Brave flips his Sword around, so he could grab the blade with his free hand. Sinon and Snipe both their weapons tightly)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(A silhouette of Kamen Rider Para-DX Lv 99 glares at them, with his eyes glowing)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid and Para-DX smash their fists together)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(The SAO gang fight various Bugsters from all of the games from the Gashats)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Snipe and Sinon go back to back)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Brave and Asuna slash right next to each other)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Ex-Aid and Kirito together jump up and slash downward, cutting back to the title)

The sun shone brightly in the real world. But we venture into a hospital office. Hiro was silently eating a slice of cake. He wasn't enjoying it, but he was taking it as a light snack. He then looked forward, and saw Emu. But something was off. Emu was pouting, feeling pretty down by the looks of it. To add to that, he even sighed exasperatedly. Feeling something, Hiro moved his cake slice closer to him.

"So, you're going to internal medicine next?" He started. "And can I guess you already have no plans for it?"

"Huh?" Emu started. "Oh, that's not it…"

"It's just…" He explained, slightly tapping his Augma. "We haven't been hearing a lot from Poppy lately…"

Hiro looked up at this Augma HUD. It was true. Poppy was nowhere to be seen.

"Now that you mention it, it has been unusually quiet for a while…" He agreed.

Just then, one of the phones began to ring. Emu got to it first.

"Cyber Rescue Center." He said. "I understand."

He put the phone back down, and explained.

"We have a patient." He said.

Hiro stood up to say that he's going, but then, another phone rang. He picked it up, but he hung up pretty soon as well.

"We've got another one."

Then, they both check their cellphones and saw that several warnings of the same thing. The two phones then began to ring again, making them overwhelmed.

"Why are there so many?" Emu asked.

"No time for answers." Hiro replied bluntly. "You go to your patient. I'll go to mine."

"Right." Emu answered.

Then, the two ran out of the office to seek out their patients.

Emu ran down an alley. He looked around for his patient.

"Hey!" called a nearby construction worker. "Over here!"

Emu quickly made his way over to him, and asked him about the patient. The worker showed him the patient, who was currently breathing heavily.

"I'm from CR. Let me treat you." Emu said, crouching down to him.

Emu then used his Augma to scan him, and it showed the sign of infection, but instead of the typical icon, it showed a small picture of Salty.

"Huh…?" He muttered. "This is different from the usual symptoms…"

"This is not safe place for ya, kiddo." The worker commented.

"Sorry…" The patient said, getting up. "I was chasing a boss, and I guess, I took a spill."

"Boss?" Emu asked. "But I thought Ordinal Scale was shut down…"

"Oh, it's not Ordinal Scale." The patient remarked. "Sorry, but I have to get going before the others do."

He then raised his hand. And in that said hand, he was holding… a Gashat?!

"A Gashat?" Emu shouted.

The patient smiled, and pressed the Gashat.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

He then pressed the Gashat again, developing pixels all over his body.

 **ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!**

Then, in the place of the patient, stood a brown Kamen Rider. But unlike our Kamen Riders, this one was plain looking. He didn't have any sort of special features.

"Alright, let's do this!" the Brown Rider announced.

Then, he bolted down the street, with Emu going after him. The Rider ran for a good stretch of time. Emu couldn't keep up with his current stamina. When the Rider finally stopped in front of his location, Emu finally had the chance to catch his breath. He caught it quickly then he thought, as he literally lost all other thoughts at the sight of what he saw.

Several Bugster mooks in chef outfits were fighting several other Kamen Riders, who were all brown, not different from the patient. In the middle of all the fighting, Salty chuckled to himself, only occasionally throwing a punch. The patient then raised a blade-like weapon, and got into a battle stance.

"I'm going to beat Salty!" He declared.

Then, the brown Rider charged in, slamming the mooks and other brown Riders out of the way.

"What in the world… is this…?" Emu spluttered.

The situation over with Hiro wasn't any better. He just saw two people transform into the brown Kamen Rider right in front of him. However, the Bugster mooks they were fighting had magician's cloaks and Alhambra was there.

"What's going on…?" He muttered. "Game patients fighting Bugsters…?"

Then, the two doctors put on their Gamer Drivers and pulled out their Gashats.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

"Henshin!" The two yelled.

Then, they both inserted their Gashats and opened the Drivers.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

Emu became Ex-Aid, and Hiro became Brave respectively, and they charged in.

Ex-Aid came in and tried to separate the Bugster mook and the brown Riders.

"Please!" He pleaded. "Stay away from them! It's for your own good!"

"Hey, chode!" scolded one Rider. "I'm playing a game here!"

Ex-Aid got confused, but then, two Riders grabbed from either side.

"Alley-oop!" They yelled as they threw Ex-Aid out of the fight.

Ex-Aid flew in the air anime-style, but then he landed on something hard. He shook his head, and saw Rika below him. Keiko was not far behind. Of course, his hands were on her… chest area. He noticed this quickly, and quickly picked his hand up.

"Ow…" Rika groaned. "Wait, Emu?"

"Uh… hi, there." He greeted sheepishly.

"What's going on?" Keiko asked.

"You tell me…" Ex-Aid groaned, just sitting down on the ground.

Just then, another boy came. He seemed to be about high school age. Rika seemed to recognize him. He was holding something in his hand. It was a Gashat. He looked at it from all angles trying to figure it out.

"Okay… so… how do I turn this on?" He asked. "Is this it?"

He pressed the Gashat's button, activating it.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

He pressed the button again, engulfing his body in pixels again.

 **ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!**

The boy's figure was replaced by a brown Kamen Rider. Rika and Keiko dropped their jaws at the sight.

"Wait, what?!" They both yelled.

The brown Kamen Rider scratched his head about what he was about to do next.

"Okay… now how do I do this?" He asked himself. "Is there like a tutorial or something?"

Just then, a bright light came into view. The light took the form of a young woman, pink hair, yellow poofy dress, and colorful stockings.

"Hi~~~!" She called. "You called?"

While the brown Rider had no idea who she was, Ex-Aid, Rika, and Keiko knew.

"Poppy!" They all yelled.

"Poppy Pipopapo will guide you through the game!" She announced cheerfully.

Taiga was blown away. He was checking the stocks of GENM Corp., which had sky-rocketed over only a few days.

"What in… how is this possible…?!" He spluttered.

Then, he began to type on what is going on right now. But right as he was getting somewhere, Nico jumped in.

"Hey, you have to look at this!" She shouted.

"I'm busy right now!" Taiga retorted.

"Just look!" Nico insisted, shoving her phone right in Taiga's face.

Taiga resisted for a bit, but when he did look, he was speechless.

"What?!" He said.

It was a video, and judging by the contents of it, he knew what he had to do. He stood up and began to walk out.

"He-hey!" Nico stammered. "Where are you going?"

"You know where." Taiga simply replied. "Let's go."

He then walked off with Nico trailing behind him.

Brave slashed Alhambra one more time, but then, Poppy pixelated right behind him in a cute pose.

"Pi!" She said with a smile.

"Poppy Pipopapo?" Brave asked, kicking Alhambra again.

"Explanation!" Poppy smiled. "In this game, the players take the role of the heroic Ride-Players, and fight the Bugsters in real life!"

"And that game is called…" She started.

She then twirled cutely, and finally stopped with her fist in the air.

"Kamen Rider Chronicle!" She announced.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

"Kamen Rider…" Ex-Aid started.

"…Chronicle?!" Brave finished.

Just then, everywhere with a screen played a commercial for Kamen Rider Chronicle, and of course, Poppy is the mascot.

 _It's the new age of gaming!_

 _Real and Virtual worlds come together to create the ultimate multiplayer game!_

 _Kamen Rider Chronicle! Now Available!_

 _You are the hero of your story!_

"Kamen Rider Chronicle…?" Taiga whispered.

Then, he and the other Riders called back to when they were introduced to the idea. Dan Kuroto explained the entire game. A world where anyone can become a Kamen Rider and fight monsters.

"They actually finished it?!" Brave exclaimed.

"You're kidding me, right?" Ex-Aid demanded.

Poppy then snapped her fingers. A small pyramid appeared next to her. It was like the food chain pyramid, only the food is replaced with small Gashats.

"There are 13 Bugsters in total, each varying in strength!" Poppy continued. "If you defeat them all, collecting the Game Clear marks along the way, the door to the ultimate Bugster will open!"

A small black and blood red portal appeared over the pyramid, showing a shadowy figure. Then, it closed back up, concealing the identity of it forever.

"Poppy!" Ex-Aid yelled. "You're not making any sense! What are you talking about?!"

"Alright then!" said the newbie Ride-Player. "All I have to do is beat Salty, right?"

He then charged in.

"Hey!" Rika shouted.

The Ride-Player looked back and saw her.

"Rika! Just you wait!" He shouted. "You'll be mine once you see this!"

Then, the Ride-Player attacked the Bugsters. However, all the other Ride-Players had the same idea, tripping over themselves.

"Salty's mine!" shouted one.

"Hey! I called dibs first!" shouted another one.

Then, one by one, they all attacked Salty. However, Salty simply blocked all of their feeble attempts and just swatted them away.

"Try as you might!" He said. "But you are not worth my salt!"

Salty then released a shockwave attack, sending all of the Rider-Players back.

"You are all far less-seasoned." Salty remarked. "Another dose of training might do you good."

And with that said, Salty pixelated away. All of the Ride-Players whined and punched the ground exasperately, missing their chance.

"Here's a special hint for our new players!" Poppy shouted.

All of them turned their attention to Poppy.

"Somestimes, rare characters called Kamen Riders will appear in the playing field!" Poppy explained.

Ex-Aid and Brave stopped at the mention of their names.

"Kamen Riders have all sorts of special items!" Poppy went on. "You can steal their Gamer Drivers, Rider Gashats, and Gashacon Weapons to beat the Bugster!"

"So, if you see one, first come first serve!" She finished. "Let's game!"

And with that Poppy pixelated away. Ex-Aid stopped to gather what just happened.

"Poppy! Wait!" He shouted.

"Uh, Emu…?" Keiko whispered, pointing in front of them. "I think we have other issues right now?"

Ex-Aid then turned to the army of Ride-Players in front of him, Rika and Keiko. They were all staring at him.

"Hey… that's gotta be a Kamen Rider, right?" one asked.

Ex-Aid realized they were talking about him, so he began to walk backwards cartoonishly with Rika and Keiko following him.

"Alright then, people!" declared one of the Ride-Players. "Let's get ourselves some power-ups!"

Then, all of them charged at Ex-Aid with their blade weapons out.

"Rika, Keiko!" Ex-Aid quickly said. "Get out of here!"

"Right!" Rika shouted.

"Be careful!" Keiko shouted.

Then, the two girls ran away as the Ride-Players one by one attacked Ex-Aid. They all tried to reach for the Gashats and the weapons, but Emu resisted such as moving sporadically and moving around.

"Please, wait!" He shouted, locking blades. "We're on the same side!"

The situation over with Brave isn't any better. His set of Ride-Players were using the dive strategy, attacking him from all corners. Brave did his best, but the numbers were stacked against him. After some players shot him in the back with some kind of firearm, he had had enough.

"This…" He seethed. "Is not an operation anymore!"

And with one fire slash, he disappeared. All of the Ride-Players pouted that he was gone.

Meanwhile, with Ex-Aid, he just can't find an opening to escape. His Ride-Players were just bearing down on him.

"Alright, fine!" He shouted, finally fed up with the little ant-attack. "Since you won't listen to reason…!"

He pulled out his Mighty Action X Gashat and pulled out the Maximum Mighty X Gashat. He pressed it, temporarily stopping the Ride-Players.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!**

"Max Dai Henshin!" He announced

Ex-Aid quickly inserted the Gashat into the Driver and after opening the Driver, he slammed down the little Ex-Aid on the Gashat.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!**

 **MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

Ex-Aud jumped up. Then, the Maximum Armor ate him and extend out its arms and legs. Ex-Aid small head popped out of it, and then he slammed his fist on the ground, causing a small quake. The Ride-Players were tripped up, and fell on their backs. Ex-Aid held the KeySlasher, just in case, but the Ride-Players were too tired to go on.

"He's… stupid strong!" exclaimed one, running away.

And one by one, all of the Ride-Players ran away, with several curses of that they'll be back. However, one Ride-Player stood his ground, still determined to beat him.

"I'm… just getting started!" He shouted.

Ex-Aid sighed, and just cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Ex-Aid reverted back to Emu. He was worried for the patient.

"It's over. I won." He stated.

The Ride-Player sighed, and just grabbed the Gashat again. He pressed it, reverting back to his original body. But then, he clenched his chest, and he began to faze in and out. Emu quickly helped him up.

"Your condition is getting worse!" Emu shouted, picking him. "I'm taking you to CR."

As Emu carried him away, he took quick glimpses of the Gashat he was holding.

'Kamen Rider Chronicle…' He pondered.

Meanwhile, a snow-white car pulled up to the entrance of the GENM Corp. building. And out of it, stepped off Amagasaki Ren, the current CEO of the company. He thanked the chauffeur, and he went on his merry way.

"So, you're the new CEO?" asked a voice.

Ren turned to see Taiga. Behind him, were Nico and Shino. Shino just came along on her way back home, since she didn't have a lot to do.

"My, my…" Ren chuckled. "You have quite an entourage behind you…"

"Entourage?" Taiga asked.

He then looked back to Shino and Nico, and the three quickly distanced themselves from each other.

"But to answer your question, yes." Ren continued, pulling out his card. "I am GENM Corp.'s new CEO, Amagasaki Ren."

He then twirled in front of Shino and Nico.

"My motto is 'I love yous to the world.'." He added.

After that brieft moment, Nico quickly ducked behind Taiga while Shino just became disgusted.

"Are all GENM CEOs a bunch of whackjobs?" She commented.

Taiga had other concerns, as he was more upfront about it.

"What bright idea were you thinking, releasing Kamen Rider Chronicle?" He asked. "Dan Kuroto's original idea."

"I'm afraid that's confidential." Ren replied.

He then began to walk towards the entrance, but then Hiro stopped him in his way.

"Then why is Poppy Pipopapo the mascot?" He asked. "She is an assistant assigned to the Ministry and CR. What did you do to her?"

"Oh, I simply offered her a role in our new game, that's all." Ren responded. "Is that a problem?"

Hiro didn't respond. Ren smirked and said some things.

"In time, you shall also see the magnificence of our new game…" He declared. "Kamen Rider Chronicle, of course."

And with that said, Ren entered the building, leaving the doctors behind. Shino quickly pulled out her phone and texted all of the rest of the SAO gang. They needed to know about this. Once that was done, she quickly put her phone away.

"What are you thinking?" Taiga asked.

"If you remember, Dan Kuroto was collecting Bugster data." Hiro explained. "With that said, I feel Poppy Pipopapo had an important role in this."

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Taiga asked.

"I'll think of something." Hiro replied.

"Well, this much is certain." Shino chimed in, stepping forward. "This game is pretty dangerous."

Hiro grimaced, looking up at the GENM Corp. logo.

A bit later, the SAO gang were in Asuna and Kirito's log cabin. They were in their casual wear, not their armors. Asuna and Kirito had Yui sitting right in between them, while Leafa, Lisbeth, and Silica were sitting on the other couch right across. Klein was casually sitting on the chair. After a bit of waiting, Sinon came in.

"Thanks for meeting up in such a short notice." She said.

"It's okay!" Silica replied.

"So, what's going on, Sinon?" Leafa asked.

Sinon didn't reply. She simply opened up her menu and sent all of them a video message. They didn't know how to respond. It just showed them the commercial for Kamen Rider Chronicle, along with several clips of Ride-Players transforming.

"So…" Kirito sighed exasperatedly. "It's out, huh?"

"Yeah." Sinon replied. "No announcements or anything."

"But I thought… Dan Kuroto…" Leafa stammered.

"No, GENM Corp.'s new CEO released it." Sinon explained. "I don't know how they completed it though."

"What's our next move then?" Kirito asked.

They all thought hard. However, as it was now released, they can do nothing now.

"Has there been any signs of foul play?" Asuna asked.

"Not yet." Sinon responded. "But considering how the company is, we could expect some things."

Just then, Lis turned to see she got a small message.

"Who is it?" Klein asked, leaning over.

"Oh, he's just a friend of mine." Lis replied.

She opened the message tab to see who it was, and she froze at who it was. The name was Slash, but she knew him IR. His name was Kurosaki Shoutaro, and he was the guy who spoke out to her as a Ride-Player. She quickly stood up and began to log out.

"Liz?" Asuna asked. "What's up?"

"Sorry, I have to go!" Liz replied quickly.

And with that said, Liz logged off. Sinon bit her lip, as it might have something to do with Kamen Rider Chronicle. So, she told everyone that we have to deal with this themselves, so they should meet up IR. So, they all logged off.

"Poppy Pipopapo!" Ren called out.

He had made his way down to basement levels of the GENM Corp. building, where all the fully evolved Bugsters were hiding out. Graphite had his arms crossed, leaning against a generator, while Pallad was just sitting on a makeshift chair. Poppy quickly ran up to Ren, who spun her around held her from a fall with her leg up.

"Thanks to you, my dear…" Ren smiled. "Kamen Rider Chronicle has become a phenomenon!"

"Really?" Poppy asked, smiling. "Yay! That's wonderful!"

Poppy slapped Ren playfully, then she spun around in joy. Even Graphite had to admit it, this was quite a feat that they've accomplished.

"I almost feel bad for Genmu." He chuckled, patting Pallad's shoulder. "He spent his entire life making this game… only for us Bugsters to snatch it right under his nose."

Poppy quickly walked over to Pallad, who was enjoying himself.

"Pallad!" She called. "Your wish has finally come true, right? This is what you wanted!"

"Yep." Pallad agreed wholeheartedly. "My soul's stirring."

He then stood up, and turned to his Bugster friends.

"This… is our time now!" He declared.

They all smiled. They cannot wait to see how Kamen Rider Chronicle will turn out.

Rika ran down the street as fast she could. She was worried about something. As she ran down, she turned and ran into a park. As she entered, she found her friend, Shoutarou, waiting patiently for her.

"Shoutarou!" She called.

Shoutarou turned and saw Rika coming towards him.

"Rika!" He said, astounded. "I wasn't sure that you would come…"

"What's this about?!" Rika asked hastily.

"Well…" Shoutarou started. "Since you rejected me yesterday… I've been trying to figure out ways to impress you again… however cheesy that sounded."

Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat.

"But with this…" He said, hopefully. "I can finally do something about it!"

Rika looked at the Gashat, and then realized what it was. She had to think up something fast. She began to yank on Shoutarou's arm.

"He-hey! You don't have to go that far!" She insisted. "Look, tell you what. I'm free tonight, so we can hang out!"

"But you said you were busy tonight." Shoutarou corrected.

Rika hesistated slightly, but Shoutarou just threw her off of him. Right at that moment, Kazuto and the others caught up with her. Keiko and Asuna picked her up.

"If you see what I can do, I can finally prove my worth to you!" Shoutarou declared, pressing the Gashat.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

"Shoutarou! Stop!" Rika pleaded.

But it was too late. Shoutarou pressed the Gashat one more time, transforming into a Ride-Player.

 **ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!**

Shoutarou then grabbed hold of a weapon, and charged in. Right as he did that, Emu came into view.

"Why did you not stop him?" He asked.

"You don't think we tried?" Kirito shot back.

Emu looked at the pandemonium in front of him. The Bugster mooks were in chef outfits, and several Ride-Players were seen battling the Bugster mooks. And once more, Salty could be seen.

"Wait, you guys are seeing this, right?" Emu asked, looking at those with Augma's on.

"Uh… yeah?" Asuna replied.

And without saying anything else, Emu put on his Gamer Driver and pulled out his Gashat. He pressed it quickly.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

"Dai Henshin!" He announced.

He then inserted the Gashat into the Driver and quickly opened the Driver up.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Then, Emu transformed into Ex-Aid and quickly summoned his weapon.

 **GASHACON BREAKER!**

He then charged in. The SAO gang just looked on.

"Wait, how do we help him?" Suguha asked.

Kazuto thought for a bit, but then he decided to try something. He stood up and planted his feet firmly.

"Ordinal Scale, on!" He announced.

Soon, Kazuto's attire changed into his Ordinal Scale outfit, and subsequently Kirito. He saw that one Bugster mook was thrown towards him. He raised his blade and quickly made a slash. To his surprise, the Bugster mook dissipated.

"Hey… it works!" He smiled.

He then ran forward. And one by one, everyone else activated Ordinal Scale and ran after him.

By this point, the battle was going fierce. Ex-Aid was attacking Salty head on, while the rest of the SAO players were trying to separate the Ride-Players from the Bugsters. Liz was working the hardest, as she was trying to figure out which Ride-Player was Shoutarou.

Ex-Aid slammed into some containers as Salty slapped his hands together.

"Well… you've improved Salty!" Ex-Aid chuckled.

"Of course!" Salty replied. "We Bugster evolve every time we are conquered in combat!"

And with that, Salty picked up an oil barrel and threw it at Ex-Aid. Ex-Aid rolled out of the way, but then was met with Salty's kick.

"I am now… at Level 10!" Salty declared.

"Wait, 10?" Ex-Aid commented.

He then pulled out his Mighty Brothers XX Gashat.

"This should be an easy score!" He smiled.

"Oh, I don't think so…" Salty smiled.

As Ex-Aid stood up, someone kicked him in the side, making him tumble. He quickly recovered to see that the Ride-Players have begun to gang up on him.

"Alright!" shouted one of them. "Here's our chance to grab some rare gubs!"

Then, one by one, the Ride-Players began to attack Ex-Aid. The SAO gang quickly caught up from behind, and tried their best to hold them off.

However, as skilled as they might be, the numbers were not to their favor.

Three Ride-Players took on Kirito. Two of them locked his arms to his sides, and they squeezed hard enough to make him lose hold of his sword. Another one was able to grab them from fall, and he used it to slash Kirito out of the way.

"Kirito!" Asuna cried.

But she had her own problems. Another set of Ride-Players were overwhelming her. Three of them currently locked blades with her, and a fourth one jumped in and struck her in the back. One of whom she locked blades with quickly grabbed her rapier by the blade and quickly smacked her with the handle.

Everyone else was getting overwhelmed as well. Sinon and Leafa were thrown into a set of crates as the Ride-Players threw them off from their weapons. Silica just tripped over some ropes that were lying about, and Klein got several punches to his… important area.

Liz, on the other hand, was having a one-on-one. She finally grabbed the Ride-Player that was Shoutarou, and was trying to reason with him.

"Look, Shoutarou." She pleaded. "You don't have to do this! I'll be your girlfriend! Just stop!"

Shoutarou tightened the grip on his weapon, but he was still determined.

"I don't want that kind of acception!" He shouted. "I'm going to prove my worth to you through skill! Even if I have to beat you to get it!"

Lis resisted the urge to shout back, so she only raised her mace.

"Then… I hope you understand…" She whispered, going into a battle stance. "This isn't personal!"

She then ran forward. She swung her mace down, to which Shoutarou dodged easily. She continued to swing it, but Shoutarou dodged all of them easily. When an opening was seen, Shoutarou quickly kneed her in the stomach and then threw her into a wall. That knocked her out, as Liz fell to the ground, unconscientious with Shotarou quickly picking up her mace.

"It kinda feels personal." He commented.

With that said though, all of the Ride-Players turned their attacks back to Ex-Aid, some using the weapons they acquired from the SAO gang, they quickly overwhelmed Ex-Aid. Shotarou delivered the final blow with Liz's mace, sending him flying and cancelling out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

Emu tumbled on the ground, and just in front of him, his Gamer Driver and his Gashats, minus Maximum Mighty X, all clacked onto the ground.

"Yeah!" Shoutarou cheered.

Then, one by one, the Ride-Players picked up the Gashats. One picked up the Gamer Driver itself, but didn't know what to do with it. As for everyone else, they just pressed the Gashats they all got.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

 **SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

 **BAKUSOU BIKE!**

 **GIRIGIRI CHAMBARA!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!**

And the following weapons appeared into the hands of some Ride-Players, some cheering at the sight.

 **GASHACON BREAKER!**

One of them received the giant hammer that sprouted a blade on top.

 **GASHACON SPARROW!**

Another got a crossbow like arrow that could be changed into two sickles.

 **GASHACON KEYSLASHER!**

Another got himself a sword-like weapon, with a digital keypad, gun barrel and an axe blade.

Others that got Gashats received the following things respectively: Lazer's Level 1 wheel weapons, the giant rocket fist of Gekitotsu Robots and the BMX from Shakariki Sports.

With the new items got, all of the Ride-Players attacked the Bugster one more time. Some who had gotten the Ordinal Scale weapons still used them on the Bugsters.

Emu, with the SAO gang slowly getting behind him, was speechless at the sight of what he was seeing. The Ride-Players were heavily fighting the crowds of Bugsters, with Salty even overpowering them. Just then, Pallad walked up beside him.

"Enjoying it, M?" He asked with a smile.

Then, he looked down on him.

"Welcome…" He said. "To the ultimate game world!"

Pallad smiled upon the crazed battlefield. He was beyond happy right now.

"Kamen Rider Chronicle is a game of my dreams!" He stated, looking at the fight. "And Genmu made that dream a reality!"

Emu became wide-eyed at the statement. All he saw was a madhouse of Ride-Players and Bugster just punching each other. And unbeknownst to them, their lives were on the line.

"Pallad…" Emu whispered. "You killed Genmu… just so you can play this game?"

"Bingo." Pallad smiled.

Lis clenched a fist, and made her way over to Pallad.

"You… sick… twisted… sonuva-!" She shouted.

But Leafa and Silica held her back, as Lis swung her fists in the air. Pallad chuckled, and just simply rubbed Lis's head. He then pulled out his Gashat, and approached the fight.

"Righty-o, then…" He smiled. "Let's play!"

He raised his Gashat to his face, and turned the knob.

 **PERFECT PUZZLE!**

 **WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?**

And as the Gashat was activated, the Game Area spread all over the area. As a result, the Bugster mooks pixelated away, confusing the Ride-Players.

 **WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?**

Then, they all turned their attention to Pallad, who was smiling with his Gashat in hand.

"Henshin." He said, pressing the Gashat.

 **DUAL UP!**

 **GET THE GLORY IN THE CHAIN! PERFECT PUZZLE!**

Pallad's body pixelated into Kamen Rider Para-DX Perfect Puzzle form. He stored his Gashat on the slot holder on his side, and rubbed his hands.

"Is he a Kamen Rider too?" One of the Ride-Players holding the KeySlasher asked. "Well, you're toast, donzo!"

Then, all of the Ride-Players charged at Para-DX, madly swinging their weapons. Para-DX obliged their request, just pushing them away with punches and kicks. And he was actually holding back. It's like he was toying with them.

"Please!" Emu shouted. "Please stop!"

But his pleads fell on deaf ears, as all of the Ride-Players continued attacking Para-DX. One Ride-Player, being Shoutarou, was thrown back from a kick. As he tumbled, Kirito caught him.

"Hey, did you not hear?" He asked. "Stop!"

"Buzz off, has-been!" Shoutarou exclaimed, throwing Kirito off of him.

Kirito fell back, but Asuna quickly caught him. Then, Shoutarou ran back into the fray.

However, Para-DX was still pummeling them. It was like a crowd fight, only the crowd being a bunch of predictable bots. And finally, with one roundhouse kick, Para-DX launched them all back. He then raised his hands, gathering up all nearby Energy Items.

"Now… for the puzzle of fate." He remarked as he selected his chosen Energy Items.

 **MUSCLE UP! SPEED UP! JUMP POWER-UP!**

He then pulled out his Gashat and twisted the knob back and forth.

 **KIMEWAZA!**

All of the Ride-Players froze in fear, however Shoutarou was determined. He held Liz's mace firmly.

"I could do this all day!" He declared.

"You asked for it, buddy." Para-DX chuckled, inserting the Gashat back into the holder.

 **DUAL GASHAT!**

 **PERFECT CRITICAL COMBO!**

Just as that happened, Hiro, Taiga, and Nico came into the park. Para-DX's legs charged up, and then got into a stance. Shoutarou used that opening, and charged towards him. Para-DX smiled, and then he dashed forward, knocking him and the other Ride-Players into the air. Then, he jumped into the air, and dash-kicked every single Ride-Player critically. When he was done, all of the Ride-Players landed on their backs, cancelling out of their transformations.

 **GAME OVER!**

Para-DX landed gently on the ground, and looked back at the defeated Ride-Players.

 **ALL CLEAR!**

The Ride-Players reverted back to their normal attire, but Shoutarou forced himself back up, with his Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat in hand.

"I'm not done yet…!" He said, stretching his hand out.

Just then, he felt something all over his body. It's like he was losing energy. He then saw his hand, as it was pixelating. He looked around, and saw that the other Ride-Players were pixelating as well. They began to mumble about what's going.

"Hey!" Shoutarou shouted. "What is this?"

Poppy quickly came in.

"Hi~!" She smiled. "You called?"

Everyone turned their attention towards her. She was still smiling.

"Poppy Pipopapo will guide you through the game!" She said. "If a player gets defeated, and gets a Game Over…"

She waited to reveal what she was about to say next.

"He disappears!" Poppy exclaimed.

That shocked the Riders and the SAO gang. Especially the SAO gang. All of their flashbacks of Sword Art Online flooded in like a waterfall.

"Disappear…?" Shoutarou uttered.

Then, his hand completed fazed from view, which dropped the Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat onto the ground. Then, one by one, the Ride-Players' bodies slowly began to disappear as well.

"No…" They all mumbled. "I… I don't want to to disappear!"

Shoutarou then turned to Lis.

"Rika…!" He spluttered, beginning to run towards her.

Liz stretched her hand, as Shoutarou got closer. Just then, the Ride-Players and Shoutarou completely dissipated into nothingness. In the place where they used to be, sat all of Ex-Aid's equipment, such as his Gashats and his Gamer Driver.

"You get no continues, BTW!" Poppy added. "Be careful with your only life next time!"

"Aim for the number one spot!" Poppy cheered. "Let's game!"

And with that, Poppy disappeared again. Liz was speechless, only collapsing onto her knees. Asuna and Leafa covered their mouths with their hands, and the doctors just looked away, with the exception of Emu, who just grimaced. Para-DX sighed happily, and cancelled out of his transformation.

"Well?" Pallad asked. "Is this the most exciting game in the world or what?"

Emu and the SAO gang did not respond for a while. But Emu was able to say a few words.

"Why…" He whispered. "Why would you do this…"

"Because I can't stand you humans." Pallad replied.

Everyone perked up at that phrase. Pallad then walked over to Ex-Aid's items.

"You humans think you're on top of the world…" Pallad explained. "But this game helps break that line."

"You see… Kamen Rider Chronicle isn't a game where humans defeat Bugsters…" Pallad went on, picking up the Gamer Driver and Mighty Brothers XX Gashat. "It's a game where Bugsters defeat humans."

"A game to exterminate humanity!" Pallad concluded.

Everyone froze at that. Silica quickly cowered behind Sinon, who covered her with her free arm. Pallad then turned his attention to Kirito.

"You guys should be familiar with this situation, right?" He asked. "That whole Sword Art Online thing…"

Kirito clenched a fist very hard. He knew what exactly Pallad was talking about. His memoery of losing Sachi and his first Guildmates was not something he wanted to look back on. Pallad smiled, and just tossed all of Ex-Aid's items over to Emu.

"Relish those who disappeared in this game." Pallad stated. "Play the game."

And with that, Pallad turned around, and dissipated into the air. Emu gathered up his stuff, but then he yelled in frustration as loudly as he could. Everyone else just stood there, still trying to take this all in.

Back at the GENM Corp. basement, the Bugsters were enjoying their latest achievements.

"Looks like things are finally going our way." Graphite commented. "It will only be a matter of time before we Bugsters claim this land for ourselves."

"But I want people to enjoy the game!" Poppy whined. "We need to attract more players!"

"Well, of course…" Ren agreed, getting up. "A one-sided game will not be a seller."

Then, he crouched down and presented Poppy with a bouquet of roses, to which she was surprised by.

"Poppy _Pipopapo_ …" Ren then said with his voice changing. " _We look forward to your next achievements_ …"

Poppy then slowly reached into the bouquet. She then grabbed two items from within. One was a device similar to the BugVisor that Graphite currently had, but it was turquoise, and the other is a pink and white Gashat.

"He's right!" Pallad complied. "A game is something meant to be enjoyed thoroughly! It's nothing without its dedicated ones!"

Poppy pondered as she took in the Gashat that was in her hand. The title of the game of the Gashat simply said Toki Meki Crisis.


	34. Survival of the Game-ists

Chapter 34: Survival of the Game-ists

 **I've gotta believe!**

(Kirito and Ex-Aid are back to back, facing a horde of Bugsters. They lift their weapons and charge as the title appears)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara**

(The SAO gang are chilling out together in a nearby café)

 **I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(Suddenly, all bystanders all transform into Ride-Players)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far**

(Brave remembers the time that Yuko died, with Asuna's afterimage looking at him; Snipe remembers the time he was defeated by Graphite, with Sinon's afterimage looking at him)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The Riders and the SAO gang together walk towards the horde of Ride Players)

 **The new beginning**

(The Riders hold up their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The Riders transform into their Lv 2 forms)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The SAO gang turn on Ordinal Scale)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(Together, they all charge at the Ride Player horde)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid goes into Lv 20, and splits into XXL and XXR; Brave twirls into Lv 50, sending a bunch of Ride Players back)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Snipe jumps into Lv 50, and rains fire upon the Ride Players; Ex-Aid jumps down in Lv 99, and slams the ground)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(The Ordinal Scale players make their way through the horde one by one)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Klein, Lisbeth, Silica, Agil, and Leafa stay back, while six figures strike a battle-ready pose. Ex-Aid raises the Breaker to his face, while Kirito goes into his battle stance. Asuna also goes into her battle stance, while Brave flips his Sword around, so he could grab the blade with his free hand. Sinon and Snipe both their weapons tightly)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(A silhouette of Kamen Rider Para-DX Lv 99 glares at them, with his eyes glowing)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid and Para-DX smash their fists together)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(The SAO gang fight various Bugsters from all of the games from the Gashats)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Snipe and Sinon go back to back)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Brave and Asuna slash right next to each other)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Ex-Aid and Kirito together jump up and slash downward, cutting back to the title)

 _It's the new age of gaming!_

 _Real and Virtual worlds come together to create the ultimate multiplayer game!_

 _Kamen Rider Chronicle! Now Available!_

 _You are the hero of your story!_

That commercial was playing on every screen possible. All of the regular townsfolk were now intrigued by this game. Plus, Poppy was pretty cute, so they had to know this must be a must-buy.

However, this wasn't the case for everyone. The SAO Gang were currently watching TV. The screen was curretnyl showing a new reporter in frton of the GENM Corp. building, and was currently explain the situation. But they weren't the only ones watching this. Poppy, along with Ren, were in the storage chamber of the GENM Corp. building, watching the news unfold.

"Large crowds are lining up to buy the new game, Kamen Rider Chronicle." The reporter explained. "At this rate, GENM Corp will stand along the other titans of the gaming industry…"

"Whoa…" Poppy awed. "This is amazing! They're being sold like pancakes!"

"Well, of course…" Ren complied. "But you musn't forget who made this dream of ours possible…"

He then spun around and suddenly, a mirror appeared in his hands.

"Thank you… me." He smiled seductively.

Poppy wasn't paying attention. She was reading the bottom of the TV screen. It was displaying the current news.

"What's this?" She pondered. "'The Ministry is recalling Kamen Rider Chronicle and are prohibiting public play.'…"

"What?!" Ren exclaimed.

He quickly shoved Poppy out of the way so he could hear it himself, but Poppy quickly got her seat in front of the TV back. Graphite saw this go down, and was growing weary.

"So, they're finally making their move…" He said.

"Well, it was bound to happen." Pallad replied nonchalantly.

Meanwhile, in Hiro's office, the doctors, Emu and Hiro, as well as the SAO players were huddled together. Asuna and Suguha tried to comfort Rika as much as possible, but it wasn't doing much. She just saw another person disappear.

"This is like Sword Art Online all over again…" She whispered quietly.

Even with that though, they still had to deal with the whole Kamen Rider Chronicle thing. They were currently on call with Kikuoka, and the Minister himself, Hinata Kyoutarou.

"For now, we're recalling the game and prohibiting further usage." Hinata explained. "But…"

"We know, sir…" Emu finished. "The players who already got a game over… and they were so many…"

"How many are we talking here?" Kazuto asked.

"The game is being sold nationwide." Kikuoka replied. "We can only assume that the number is growing."

"And the players using the game will exhibit symptoms of game disease…" Hiro added. "Without proper treatment, it will only be matter of time before they vanish…"

Hiro took a glimpse of what was laid on the table. It was a Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat. Just then, Asuna spoke up.

"We have to warn the country!" She suggested. "Warn them about the game."

"No!" Hinata quickly responded. "Sorry, but if the public finds out about the underlying risks, it would cause an uproar!"

"We have to stop the players from getting game overs!" Kazuto exclaimed.

"In any case, the Ministry will be handling the matter." Kikuoka replied. "All of you, even you kids, are ordered to stand down, in order to prevent an outrage."

"Very well, sir." Hiro replied, standing up.

"I'm sorry." Hinata added as the call was cut off.

Once the call ended, Hiro went over to grab a cup of water. However, not everyone was onboard with this restrainment. Kazuto angrily punched the table, and Asuna just sat back down with Rika and Suguha.

"Don't overthink it." Hiro told them. "It's out of our hands now."

"So…" a voice barged in. "You folks won't be doing anything, huh?"

Everyone looked over and saw that voice belonged to the man Emu had brought in the previous chapter. He took a couple steps into the office, but then he held his chest. He was still experiencing signs of game disease, but was trying to be tough guy about it.

"Mr. Tenma…" Emu spluttered. "You should rest in your room!"

"Well, hate to burst your bubble." Tenma replied. "I'm not going to just wait here while you CR folks do nothing."

He then grabbed the Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat from the table.

"If I beat the Bugster, my game disease should be cured, right?" He went on. "I'm going to fix my own body."

Emu then grabbed the Gashat. He then tried to take it off of Tenma's hands.

"That game is dangerous." He said. "Please, go back to your room!"

Tenma just shoved Emu off of him, and then he began to walk out. Emu, after a bit of stumbling, then went after.

"Hey, intern!" Hiro shouted. "We have orders to stand down!"

Kazuto, then silently slipped away. He was trying to get Emu from doing something stupid.

Salty chuckled in a nearby pond. He was currently fighting a Ride-Player, whom looked to be a beginner. He swung his blade around madly, but they all missed.

"My, my…" Salty commented. "You're weak, even for a beginner!"

He then just punched the Ride-Player away from him, as he tumbled on the ground. Just then, Tenma came up from behind.

"Bingo…" He smirked.

He then outstretched his hand, holding the Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat. He pressed it.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

He then pressed it again, quickly turning into another Ride-Player.

 **ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!**

He quickly turned his blade weapon into a blaster, and then he aimed at Salty. He pulled the trigger, landing several shots on Salty's back. He then turned it back into a blade, and charged.

"Well…!" Salty smiled. "A seasoned player!"

Tenma swung his blade, just as Emu came up.

"Please! Stop!" He pleaded.

He put on his Gamer Driver and pulled out his Gashat, quickly pressing it.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

"Henshin!" He shouted.

He then inserted the Gashat into the Driver and opened it, running over to the fight.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Emu quickly transformed into Ex-Aid, and he quickly got in between them. He threw Salty aside, and then he began to push Tenma away.

"Please!" He pleaded. "Don't do this!"

"Move aside!" Tenma ordered. "I'm good at this kind of stuff!"

"Still, you should stop playing this game!" Ex-Aid pleaded again.

Tenma then just punched Ex-Aid off of him and then pinned him to a nearby pillar.

"Then give me some items, damn it!" Tenma shouted.

Kazuto arrived just as Tenma decided to focus all of his efforts on fighting Ex-Aid. Strangely, he observed that Ex-Aid wasn't fighting back. Salty used this chance to escape.

"Please!" Ex-Aid exclaimed. "I can't… I _won't_ fight you!"

Ex-Aid was finally pinned down with a blade digging into his arm by Tenma. Just then, a red alarm blared in the area. Ex-Aid and Tenma suddenly looked around. Kazuto then saw a figure.

"Look out!" He shouted.

Ex-Aid looked over only to be met with an energy blast. He looked over to where the blast came from. He saw Poppy with something that looked like… an azure and silver BugVisor…?

"Kamen Riders are rare characters!" She exclaimed. "They're supposed to fight them!"

She then crossed her arms across her front, making an X-shape.

"Helping players…" She stated. "Is against the rules!"

She then put on the BugVisor on her waist.

 **GACHANN…**

"Popapipu-penalty…" She then said with an ominous voice. "Disqualification."

Kazuto used this chance to get to Ex-Aid. He turned into his Ordinal Scale form, as he came to Ex-Aid's side.

"Disqualification?" Ex-Aid asked.

"Hey." Kirito interrupted, grabbing his arm. "Let's get out of here, okay?"

But Poppy never game them the chance, as she then pulled out something surprising to them both. A Gashat, lined pink and white. She pressed it, activating its game area.

 **TOKI MEKI CRISIS!**

A bright pink Game Area spread out, surprising them all. She pressed the A Button on the BugVisor, and then she spun around. Her skirt followed along with her movements, and once she had spun once, she stretched her hand to her side.

"Henshin…" She said almost like a whisper.

She then inserted the Gashat into the BugVisor and pressed the button below the Gashat port.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP…**

 **DREAMING GIRL! HEY! KOI NO SIMULATION! OTOME WA ITSUMO TOKI MEKI CRISIS! HEY!**

Poppy's body changed. She first gained bright yellow armor that went all down to her skirt. She also gained pink sleeves, stocking and heels. Then, her eyes became red.

"Kamen Rider…" She started. "Poppy~~!"

She smiled happily, but Kirito and Ex-Aid had nothing to say.

"You're kidding, right?" They both said simultaneously.

Then, Poppy jumped down. She then began to attack Ex-Aid. Right now, she just threw kicks and punches at Ex-Aid. It didn't do a lot, but Ex-Aid was frustrated. He can't fight his friend.

"What the hell…" Tenma groaned, as he quickly escaped.

Back with the fight, Ex-Aid finally grabbed a hold of her.

"Poppy!" Ex-Aid said. "Just stop! Please!"

However, Poppy just threw her arms up and broke free of Ex-Aid's grip. Just then, Kirito jumped up. He had his sword in hand, and he quickly landed a slash on her back.

"Ex-Aid!" He called. "Open your eyes!"

He then swung his sword at Poppy. He had to admit, she was pretty slippery. Guess her size didn't restrict her movements.

"Kirito!" Ex-Aid shouted. "Stop!"

"We have no choice!" Kirito shouted back. "Even if she's still Poppy, we have to fight her!"

He then continued to swing his sword around. Just then, Poppy jumped right over his head, and then swiped Kirito's sword out of his hands. She then threw it aside and put on her BugVisor with the chainsaw bit activated.

 **GACHANN…**

She then used it to slash Kirito. First down his body, and then upward, launching him. Ex-Aid caught him, but they were both met with a kick from Poppy, forcing them back. She stood behind them, and prepared for a final attack.

"Pipupepo power~!" She cheered.

She put the BugVisor back on her waist and then pressed the B Button.

 **GACHANN… KIMEWAZA…**

She waited a bit for the attack to charge, and then she pressed the B Button again.

 **CRITICAL CREWS-AID…**

She then spun around like a top. She flew up into the air and launched various energy blasts shaped like hearts, sunshines, and rainbows. But as pretty as they looked, they were just as powerful. They all landed on Kirito and Ex-Aid hard, as they were both knocked back. Ex-Aid cancelled out, turning back into Emu, and Kirito reverted back to Kazuto. Just as the attack finished, Asuna came up,

"Kirito!" Asuna shouted.

She quickly ran over to her boyfriend's side, and then she carefully picked him up.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah…" Kazuto shrugged. "I'll live."

Poppy trotted over to Emu.

"Doctors don't get special treatment!" She mentioned. "Remember next time or be punished again!"

Emu didn't know how to respond. So many thoughts were going through his mind.

"Poppy…" He started. "You were our friend… you fought with us… why are you doing this?!"

He grabbed hold of her hand. Poppy then went down on her knees, looking at Emu curiously. She then booped Emu on the nose and stepped away.

"Bye-bye!" She said cheerfully.

She then pixelated away just as Emu tried to stop her.

"She's… gone…" Asuna said.

Emu then looked down to the ground. Poppy slipped away right in front of him… again.

"You're wasting your time, man." Said a familiar voice.

The three looked behind them and saw Pallad casually sitting on a wall. He was smiling away.

"Hate to burst your bubble." He continued. "But her save data, or as you humans may say, her memory, has been reset."

"So basically, she is still Poppy in here." He said, putting a hand on his chest.

"But not up here." He finished, putting his finger on his head.

Everyone took a moment to take in that information.

"Memory… reset?" Asuna asked.

Pallad jumped down from the wall and then explained what was going on.

"The reason why she was with you guys to begin with…" Pallad explained. "Was because Genmu was using her to collect data."

"And now that Kamen Rider Chronicle's completed." He went on. "She can go back to her original role as a Bugster."

"Poppy…" Emu whispered.

Emu couldn't accept this. He was remembering all of the times he had with Poppy back in ALO. It was something that they kept private from work, but they had a bit of fun together. They went on raids together, played around together, and as of most recently, with the Augma, even ate together.

"C'mon. We Bugsters come from taking over human bodies." Pallad went on. "Poppy is no exception to this."

"Even so…" Kazuto butted in. "What's that got to do with this hellish game?"

"Why are you asking me that?" Pallad replied. "This is what you humans wanted."

Everyone paused at that declaration. How was this on them?

"You humans seek entertainment, so you create video games." He explained. "And to relieve your stress, you crate characters plaing the role of enemies."

As he went on, another group of Ride-Players were fighting Alhambra in a nearby neighborhood. And said neighborhood happened to be where Asuna lived.

"Bascially, we Bugster threaten you humans…" Pallad continued. "Because you programmed us to."

"But, we are not simple pawns on a chessboard." He went on. "A Bugster's life is still a life."

"It's survival of the fittest between two races." He concluded as he walked away.

With Pallad gone, the three players just sat there, taking all of the information in.

A little while later, an emergency broadcast was shown all over town. It seemed to concern the latest developments with Kamen Rider Chronicle. A news headline says it all.

 _The Ministry is about to begin an emergency pres conference on the topic of Kamen Rider Chronicle, concerning the mass recall of the game units and the prohibition of its use. The Ministry has yet to explain the reason of this order at hand, and this conference is expected to shed light on the situation._

Despite all of this Tenma had other plans.

"I can't do this alone." He admitted. "I'm going to need some help."

He then whipped out his phone and typed. Once he was done, he copied it, and pasted on to every single social media account that he had. With that done, his words of help spread like wildfire, instigating a whole situation.

" _To all players of Kamen Rider Chronicle…"_

" _You can't trust the Cyber Rescue Center."_

" _Looking for other players…"_

" _Let's fight together."_

" _If we don't defeat the Bugsters…"_

" _Our bodies will vanish…"_

" _We must work together to cure ourselves…"_

Ironically, Nico happened to be reading this as well. Taiga and Shino were close by, as Shino just filled him on the orders from the Ministry. They were by a train station too, it seems.

"Isn't this pretty bad?" She asked.

Taiga scoffed, and just walked off. Shino and Nico quickly followed after him

"Well…" Taiga commented. "You can stop a game once it's started."

"Now you're getting it." said a voice.

The three turned to the direction where the voice came from. Taiga's eyes widened as he saw who the voice belonged to. There, standing in front of them, only lit with the backdrop of a lower tunnel, was Graphite, with a smile that irritated Taiga to no end.

"Graphite…" He scowled.

Graphite smiled back, full of himself.

"Nice to see you too." He answered.

"You know this guy?" Nico asked.

Shino outstretched her arm, covering Nico from going any further.

"That's Graphite." She explained. "He's a Bugster we beat a while ago. He and Taiga… have a history."

Nico looked at Taiga's expression, as it was full of rage. She understood that.

"So, you came back from the dead?" Taiga asked. "No matter, I'll just kill you all over again!"

He pulled out the Gashat Gear Dual β without hesitation, but Graphite stopped him.

"We won't be fighting right now." He said. "Just try and clear Kamen Rider Chronicle!"

"Get to my level." Graphite declared. "Only then… will we fight."

With that said, Graphite walked away, pixelating away. Taiga put the Gashat down, and then just walked on. Nico went after with Shino.

Emu sat in a chair, motionless. He had bandages on, so he should be fine. The SAO players have gone home to work off the anxiety, so it was just him and Hiro that were in the office.

"So… Poppy Pipopapo is…?" He asked.

Emu nodded silently. Hiro put his hands into his doctor coat pockets.

"Why do you think we were ordered to stand down?" Hiro asked suddenly.

Emu didn't respond. He had a lot of things on his mind. So, Hiro had to answer his own question.

"If Kamen Riders, the rare characters, were to show up, we'll only paint a giant target on our backs." He explained. "For now, we have to abide by the orders."

As soon as Hiro was done talking, Emu got up and began to walk out. Hiro quickly intercepted him.

"Did you not hear Secretary Hinata's orders?" He asked, shouting.

"Please let go of me!" Emu responded. "I have to operate on my patients!"

"THIS IS NOT AN OPERATION ANYMORE, KID!" Hiro screamed.

Emu stopped. Hiro, realizing that he raised his voice, quickly regained control of his temper.

"The patients don't trust us doctors." He stated. "In fact, we're their enemies now."

"How can you still operate under that condition?!" He asked. "It's just not possible."

Emu staggered his breath. He had an answer for this.

"Even if they don't trust me…" He responded. "I'm still going to save them!"

He marched himself out of the office, leaving Hiro behind. He then ran down the streets, searching for any Ride-Players.

Hiro remained in his office, pondering a question that just sprang into his head.

"What does it mean to be a doctor…?" He asked. "Is having a license enough…?"

"No…" He answered his own question. "To be a doctor…"

Deciding on an answer, he then walked out of his office as well.

Kazuto was lying on his bed, getting his injuries treated by Suguha.

"Owowowow…" He moaned.

"C'mon, you can take it." Suguha pouted.

Once she was done dabbing the injury, Suguha grabbed a band-aid and put it right over Kazuto's cheek.

"Would that be enough?" She asked.

Kazuto felt the band-aid. The pain from the injury wasn't gone, but the band-aid just might do the trick.

"Thanks, sis." Kazuto replied.

And with that, the two Kirigaya siblings walked downstairs. Waiting for them, was Rika, Keiko, Asuna, and Ryotarou. They were all sitting in the living room, on several couches.

"How you doing?" Ryotarou asked.

"It's a scratch, nothing big." Kazuto replied.

Then, the two sat down on one of free spaces.

"So… Poppy's a bad guy now?" Keiko asked.

Yui then flew in. She wasn't willing to accept it.

"That's not possible!" She replied hastily. "Poppy is my friend! She can't do something like that!"

"And we want to believe that, Yui…" Asuna choked out. "But…"

She glanced over to Kazuto. His injury stood out to her like a sore thumb.

"I saw what happened." Kazuto finished for her. "I'm sorry."

Yui sunk down to her knees, distraught with her feelings.

"Alright, alright." Ryotarou spoke up, standing up. "Why don't we take a walk to get the steam out?"

Everyone agreed, and they all filed outside. From there, they strolled silently down the street. Kazuto walked up to Rika. Strangely, she was keeping to herself.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Huh?" Rika responded. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

And with that, Rika sped up and walked away. Kazuto grew concerned for his friend.

They walked on for a while. At this point, they were now closed to a currently unoccupied construction site. Keiko was leading the group, so she was up front. She noticed something odd. She quickly called everyone over.

"What is it?" Suguha asked.

"That!" Keiko said.

She pointed in front of her. There were a group of people standing in a huddle. In front of the group, was Tenma.

"Wait…" Kazuto mentioned. "Tenma?!"

"You know him?" Ryotarou asked.

"Yeah." Kazuto replied. "He's the guy I went after Emu for."

Then, the entire group raised their hands. They all appeared to be holding something. Tenma raised his hand last, and he was holding his Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat. He pressed it, followed by everyone else.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

Then, they all pressed it again, turning the entire group of people into a group of Ride-Players.

 **ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!**

Once the transformation was complete, all of the Ride-Player ssran down the site. The SAO players quickly followed behind them. Soon, the Ride-Players were face to face with two Bugsters: Salty and Alhambra. They all braced themselves, and then they charged. The group split up two fight the Bugsters. Salty and Alhambra didn't even seem fazed, as they just dished out more damage to the Ride-Players.

"Should we help them…?" Keiko asked.

"We can't." Kazuto replied. "We have orders, remember?"

Everyone agreed, but the person that came to the field was enough to make Rika change her mind.

 **PERFECT PUZZLE!**

 **WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?**

Pallad walked into the site, about to transform.

"Well this looks fun." He smiled. "Henshin."

He pressed the Gashat.

 **DUAL UP!**

 **GET THE GLORY IN THE CHAIN! PERFECT PUZZLE!**

Pallad transformed into Para-DX Puzzle Gamer, and the rubbed his hands together.

"Let's get started then, shall we?" He said, excitedly.

Rika made a hard fist with her hand, and then she just ran out, straight at Para-DX.

"Ordinal Scale, on!" She shouted.

Rika pixelated into Lisbeth again, and she swung her mace madly at Para-DX, who just dodged them effortlessly.

"Whoa, whoa, tiger!" He said. "Give me some breathing room for a bit, okay?"

"Shut up!" Lis screamed.

As she continued attacking, the others realized they had to step in as well. So, they all turned on Ordinal Scale, and went after Lis.

As all of that was going on, the Ministry had just begun their press conference concerning Kamen Rider Chronicle. With cameras flashing and reporters busily writing, Hinata began his talk.

"In regards to the mass recall issued for GENM Corp.'s video game, Kamen Rider Chronicle…" He began. "We've discovered a serious flaw that could effect the user's health."

He then went on to explain that serious flaw.

"Upon activation, the game will trigger any dormant Bugster virus bacteria in one's body, inflicting the user with game disease." He explained.

The crowd began to talk amongst themselves, as questions came one by one.

"There are some rumors floating in the internet…" One of the journalists asked. "Is it true that Bugster virus can potentially cause an individual to vanish?"

"There's also information about a previous event, Zero Day, where the infected supposedly vanished…" Another mentioned.

"Also, wasn't CR orginanly formed with the cooperation of GENM Corp.?" Another asked.

Hinata couldn't answer all of these questions, as it would go against what he said from the beginning.

"In any case..." He said. "We ask you to refrain from using Kamen Rider Chronicle, as well as for your cooperation on our mass recall efforts."

"Please answer the question!" shouted one of the reporters.

Then, one by one, all of the reporters began shouting over each other, trying to get Hinata to answer the question. Just then, Kikuoka quickly walked up to him.

"Sir, we have a problem." He whispered to his ear. "Two CR doctors have mobilized."

Hinata's eyes widened. First the situation he was in, and now the doctors have moved in despite the orders to stand down? The situation just keeps getting better and better.

Back to the fight, the Ride-Players were having trouble fighting the two low-tier Bugsters. Salty was dishing out insults as well as beating the Ride-Players. This enraged them, causing them to just try random attacks. Alhambra was not having any trouble either. He was using his magic on the Ride-Players, and with the limited range of options the Ride-Players had, they were quickly overpowered.

Para-DX, on the other hand, was enjoying himself very much. It's been a while since he fought the SAO players, and it felt just as good in AR as it is on ALO. He also saw it as a challenge, as when he tried to pick up Leafa, she was a bit heavier than he thought. He just threw her into Silica, and quickly tanked a slash from Klein. He broke his blade, and then he just kicked him away. Asuna and Kirito jumped up, but Lis blocked their way as she was the most enraged out of everyone. She was swinging madly. Para-DX chuckled, and just simply grabbed two Energy Items to even out the odds.

 **SPEED UP! BUNSHIN!**

Para-DX split apart into seven clones of himself, and they engaged the SAO players one by one.

In no time at all, they all went to their finishers. Salty sent out a shock of electricity to his opponents, while Alhambra used a fire spell to scorch his opponents. All of the Ride-Players fell back, defeated. Salty couldn't help but chuckle at this sight.

"You are either undeniably brave, or undeniably foolish." Salty said.

Tenma, who had been fighting Salty, was out of steam.

"No… no way…" He panted.

Just then, behind Salty and Alhambra, seven bodies were thrown. Kirito, Asuna, Silica, Leafa, Klein, and Lis tumbled on the ground. Para-DX happily trotted along.

"Hey, Salty, Alhambra." He asked. "Time we finish this with style, right?"

"Of course!" Salty agreed, rubbing his hands. "Time to reveal the chef's secret…"

"And I shall bestow my most legendary spell upon them…" Alhambra said.

Everyone struggled to get up, but they were too hurt to go on. Lis, however mustered up enough strength to stand back up.

"I'm… not… done… yet…!" She choked out.

She ran forward towards Para-DX, but he quickly grabbed another two Energy Items.

 **METALIZE! MUSCLE UP!**

Lis swung her mace down, and it landed on Para-DX's shoulder, but his body was now metal, so nothing happened.

"Aren't you a sourpuss?" He commented.

He then landed gut punch right on Lis's stomach, which made her cough out some spit. She was then sent flying back to her starting place, but Kirito was able to catch her.

Alhambra and Salty then charged up their final attacks. Para-DX smiled. It was about to happen. A triumph of Bugster.

"STOP!" a voice shouted.

Everyone then turned to see Emu rush in. He had his Gamer Driver on, but he wasn't holding a Gashat. He had a serious expression on his face though.

"Aw, come on, M…" Para-DX sighed. "We were just getting to the good part!"

Tenma looked over, more annoyed if anything.

"Why are you even here?" He exclaimed. "No one asked for your help!"

"I know…" Emu uttered.

Everyone looked at Emu. He was shaking slightly.

"Emu…" Kirito muttered.

"I hate to admit it…" He choked out. "But I can't save everyone by myself."

"Then beat it!" Tenma shouted.

"But I'm still going to fight!" Emu shot back. "To save as many lives as I can… and bring back smiles to their faces!"

Back at the press conference, Hinata thought about the mobilization of CR. He knew who it might've went out first.

'Emu…' He thought.

He knew what to do now. He stood up from his seat, and then spoke what that should've been said a long time ago.

"It is all true." He stated.

All of the reporters simmered down, now that their questions have been answered.

"Secretary, you musn't!" Kikuoka begged.

"If a game disease is left unchecked, or the player receives a game over on Kamen Rider Chronicle…" He stated. "The infected will disappear, leading to their deaths."

"However, there is no need to worry!" He declared.

Back to the construction site, Taiga walked up behind Emu with Sinon. He also had his Gamer Driver on, and was holding the Gashat Gear Dual β in his free hand. Sinon quickly got to helping up the others.

"We're the only ones beating Bugsters here." He said.

"Precisely." Hiro added, walking up. "That is why we are here. To save as many lives within reach."

Emu looked back at the two doctors behind him. He was flattered by their appearance, and then he made his decision, on cue, he pulled out the Maximum Mighty X Gashat, and then the three doctors all proceeded to press them.

"We have excellent doctors with us!" Hinata went on. "Doctors who will cure game disease!"

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!**

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

 **BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!**

 **I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP! I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP!**

"Proceeding to Level 5." Hiro said. "Henshin."

"Phase 50." Taiga said. "Henshin."

"Max Dai Henshin!" Emu shouted.

Then, they all inserted their Gashats into their Drivers.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO!**

 **GASHATTO! GASHATTO!**

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

And then, together, they all opened their Driver.s

 **GACHANN!**

 **LEVEL MAX!**

 **LEVEL UP!**

 **DUAL UP!**

 **SAIDAIKYU NO POWERFUL BODY! DAIRAGAN! DAGOZUBAN!**

Emu turned into Ex-Aid, and then he slammed the small Ex-Aid on the Gashat.

 **MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

The large object swallowed up Ex-Aid, and then arms and legs sprouted from it. Ex-Aid towered over everyone.

 **GACHANN LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

Hiro turned into Brave, and then the dragon split apart and attached itself onto his body.

 **SCRAMBLE DA! SHUTSUGEKI! HASSHIN! BANG BANG SIMULATION! HASSHIN!**

Taiga quickly turned into Snipe, and then the large battleship split apart and attached onto his body.

The three Riders now stood triumphantly in front of the Bugsters.

"It's heating up here!" Para-DX cheered.

"I'll clear this with no continues!" Ex-Aid declared.

Then, with the SAO players stepping aside, they all ran towards the Bugsters.

"These doctors have treated numerous cases of the Bugster virus." Hinata went on explaining. "They are accomplished, and intelligent! Please, let's believe in them!"

All of the Ride-Players couldn't move, as they were stunned.

The fight was fierce. Ex-Aid took on Para-DX himself, Brave and Snipe exchanged opponents between Alhambra and Salty.

Ex-Aid punched Para-DX several times. First, he was able to tank some of it, but Para-DX jumped over Ex-Aid, and then fired several puzzle pieces at him. Ex-Aid saw this and then pressed a small button on the side of the Gashat. That ejected him as the main body fired lasers from its eyes. Ex-Aid took on Para-DX hand to hand from there.

Snipe was currently fighting Alhambra. And to his advantage, he was at a distance with him, so his firearms had the advantage. Alhambra was frustrated, but he was throwing everything he had at Snipe. Snipe basically ignored all of those attacks as he just fired on.

Brave was being leisurely with Salty. The Bugster chef kept on punching, but somehow, he was getting beaten. It appears that Brave is showing that Level difference is only superficial.

Para-DX finally had had enough. He punched Ex-Aid in the stomach, and then in the back. Ex-Aid tumbled, but the giant armor scooped him up, giving Ex-Aid back the controls. Ex-Aid then fired at Para-DX with the KeySlasher, and was able to land several critical hits. Para-DX was smiling away though.

"My soul's stirring!" He said gleefully.

He pulled out his Gashat Gear Dual, and then he flipped the knob to the other game.

 **KNOCK OUT FIGHTER!**

 **THE STRONGEST FIST! ROUND 1! ROCK AND FIRE!**

"Dai Henshin." He said.

He pressed the Gashat, and then inserted it back on his side.

 **EXPLOSION HIT! KNOCK OUT FIGHTER!**

Para-DX switched to his Knock Out Gamer form, and then he got serious. First, he launched a firestrike, making Ex-Aid eject out of his armor again. The armor ran up and punched Para-DX in the head. Ex-Aid also landed a kick onto his back, and then using the momentum, he jumped back into the armor. He looked at the KeySlasher, and then pressed the blue button.

 **JA-JA-JA-KIIN!**

He pressed the blue dials, and then slashed Para-DX. He tumbled on the ground.

Meanwhile, the SAO players made their way over so they could watch the fight.

"Whoa…" Silica muttered.

Snipe fired more shots, and then noticed the SAO players.

"Hey!" He called. "If you're not going to help, leave!"

That gave the SAO players a bad taste in their mouths, but since Sinon was the only one who wasn't hurt, so she stepped forward. Snipe noticed this, and grabbed something on him.

"Here, Asada." He called, throwing her that something. "Make yourself useful!"

Sinon caught it, and saw that is was the Bang Bang Shooting Gashat. She nodded, and then she pressed it.

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

She then pressed it again.

 **BANGBABANG! BABANGBANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

She gained the yellow sash, and yellow armaments of Snipe Level 2. And then, a familiar weapon appeared into his hands.

 **GASHACON MAGNUM!**

Sinon then twirled the Magnum. And then she began to fire on Alhambra. The SAO players were inspired this, so the others began to run up as well. Ex-Aid and Brave saw this, and they threw some of their Gashats over as well.

Klein caught GiriGiri Chambara, while Asuna caught DoReMiFa Beat. Gekitotsu Robots soared through the air, and Kirito was about to catch it, but Lis intercepted it. Rolling on the ground, she pressed it.

 **GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

She pressed it one more time, and then her right arm glowed.

 **BUTTOBASE! TOTSUGEKI! GEKITOTSU PUNCH! GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

Her right arm, which had her mace, suddenly became the arm gauntlet of Gekitotsu Robots. She got pumped, and then she swung it around.

"Alright!" She cheered. "Let's do this!"

Klein and Asuna chuckled, and they just pressed their own Gashats.

 **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

 **GIRIGI CHAMBARA!**

The two pressed their Gashats one more time, and then they gained new looks.

 **DO-DO-DO-RE-MI-FA! SO-LA-SI-DO! OK! DOREMIFA BEAT!**

Asuna looked at her arm, and then she saw that the DoReMiFa Beat disc scratchers appeared on her left arm. She also looked at her sword, as it was replaced by another sword.

 **GASHACON SWORD!**

Asuna swung the sword, and then joined up with Brave.

 **GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! CHAMBARA!**

Klein got a whole new look. He first gained a new face mask, and he gained samurai armor plating on his lower legs, and his lower arms. He also saw the weapons he wanted to hold for a long time.

 **GASHACON SPARROW!**

"Oh… yeah!" He cheered.

He swung the Sparrows around, and then he joined Brave.

The others that didn't get Gashats just used their normal weapons, and joined up with the other two Riders.

Para-DX was intrigued by the new entourage, but he was more focused on fighting Emu. So, he just charged. However, he was intercepted by a rocket punch. He looked to his side and saw Lis, with the rocket fist going back onto her right arm.

"You and I have unfinished business!" She declared.

Meanwhile, Brave kept on slashing Salty. Finally, with one kick, he sent him flying over to Asuna. Asuna slashed a bit, but she only realized now that she was doing some side-steps with her feet. Staggering her breath, she struck Salty rhythmically, and then finally sent Salty over to Klein. Klein was waiting for this moment. Slowly, one slash at a time, he struck Salty. He landed a critical slash that sent Salty flying.

"Let's end this!" Brave suggested.

"Right!" Asuna replied.

"Come on!" Klein agreed.

Then, they all pulled out their Gashats and inserted them respectively. Brave inserted Drago Knight Hunter Z on the slot on his side, Asuna inserted DoReMiFa Beat into the Sword, while Klein inserted GiriGiri Chambara in one of the Sparrows.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

They all charged up their attacks, as Salty struggled to stand up. Brave had both of his arm weapons glowing and his mouth glowing. Asuna's Sword had the image of a treble clef, and Klein's Sparrows blades extended longer.

 **DOREMIFA CRITICAL FINISH!**

 **GIRIGIRI CIRITCAL FINISH!**

Klein and Asuna slashed downward, launching their attacks. The attacks tore right through Salty, making him freeze.

 **DRAGO KNIGHT CRICITAL STRIKE!**

Brave then dashed forward. Once he got in front of Salty, he slashed with his sword arm, and then he spun around, slashing with the gun arm. Salty groaned as he exploded.

Meanwhile, Kirito and Suguha were slicing Alhambra. They had done their bit, they back off, allowing Silica an opening to land her knife right into Alhambra's stomach. Once planted, she quickly stepped back. Snipe and Sinon took up positions, and prepared themselves.

"Let's do this!" Sinon said.

"Don't order me around." Snipe responded.

He closed his Driver, while Sinon inserted the Bang Bang Shooting Gashat into the Magnum.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

They both charged up their attacks, as the barrels of both of their guns glowed. Once ready, they took aim, and unleashed their attacks. Snipe opened up his Driver, and Sinon pulled the trigger.

 **GACHANN!**

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FIRE!**

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FINISH!**

Sinon fired a single charged shot, and Snipe unleashed the fury of a navy fleet. Alhambra took the attacks to the nose, and soon, he exploded as well.

Meanwhile, Para-DX was trying to defend against Lis, but, somehow, she was pushing him back. Para-DX swung his punches, but Lis ducked and the punches just flew over her head. She finally launched an uppercut, and sent Para-DX into the air. He fell on his back.

"That's for Shoutarou!" She called out.

Ex-Aid clomped over. He saw Pallad on the ground, getting back up.

"Pallad!" He called. "Time I beat you!"

He pulled out his Gashat, and then he inserted it into his KeySlasher.

 **GASHUNN! MAXIMUM GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

He then charged up the attack, then he thought of something.

"Lis!" He called.

Lis looked back and saw Ex-Aid throw the charging KeySlasher over to her. Luckily, she caught it.

"If you don't mind." He chuckled.

Lis smiled, and then she quickly pulled out the Gekitotsu Robots Gashat. She pressed it, and the robot gauntlet dissipiated. Now, both of her hands are free, so she could hold the KeySlasher with both of her hands. She carefully placed it by her side, preparing herself. Para-DX finally got up, and only saw Lis holding the KeySlasher before hearing the following.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!**

Lis then swung the KeySlasher, subsequently launching the attack at Para-DX. Para-DX quickly raised his arm to cover, but the slash was too powerful. He was consumed by an explosion that went at least 2 feet past him. When the smoke died out, there were several patches of fires around him, and he fell on one knee, and he was cancelled out of his transformation, back to Pallad.

"Huh…" He groaned. "And here I was… fighting you… M…"

And with those final words, he pixelated away. Lis placed the KeySlasher on the ground, exhausted. She felt a pat on her back, but it was only Ex-Aid.

The fight took quite some time. Because by the time they cancelled out of their transformations, the sun was beginning to set. All of the Ride-Players went back to their civilian bodies, and was just chilling out on some rocks. Emu walked over to them. He just checked them over.

"You're all cured." He smiled. "But, I have to ask… will you please hand over your copies of Kamen Rider Chronicle?"

All of the civillians looked away, but Tenma spoke up.

"You're really strong, you know that?" He commented. "I'll spread the word."

Then, to Emu's surprise, he stood up and handed Emu his Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat.

"'Believe in CR.'." Tenma smiled.

And then, one by one, the others handed their Gashats as well. Hiro and the SAO players watched this, and were high-fiving each other. Just then, Taiga walked over and whispered this to everyone: "I'm going to clear Kamen Rider Chronicle."

Taiga walked off after that. Hiro looked as he disappeared from sight.

On the other hand, Rika placed her hand on her chest, and breathed in and out deeply.

"What's up?" Kazuto asked.

"It's just…" Rika replied. "I think I can finally leave Shoutarou at peace now…"

Kazuto smiled. His friend was finally okay.

Pallad stumbled into the storage basement of GENM Corp. He was breathing heavily too.

"Pallad!" Poppy called. "Are you okay?"

Pallad didn't reply. He just shoved her out of the way, but Ren quickly caught her.

"Please, sir!" He quipped. "That is no way to treat a lady."

Pallad grew serious.

"It's time for the next stage." He said coldly.

Poppy quickly stood up, slapping Ren out of her face.

"With the Ministry's announcement…" Pallad explained. "Players will be dropping like flies."

Graphite and Poppy nodded in agreement, and Ren also had the comply. Cracking his jaw, he spoke.

"But of course!" HE said. "We have a secret card in play now…"

"One…" Ren finally revealed with his voice changing. " _That will never keep these humans away from Kamen Rider Chronicle…_ "


	35. A Silver Lining

Chapter 35: A Silver Lining

 **I've gotta believe!**

(Kirito and Ex-Aid are back to back, facing a horde of Bugsters. They lift their weapons and charge as the title appears)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara**

(The SAO gang are chilling out together in a nearby café)

 **I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(Suddenly, all bystanders all transform into Ride-Players)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far**

(Brave remembers the time that Yuko died, with Asuna's afterimage looking at him; Snipe remembers the time he was defeated by Graphite, with Sinon's afterimage looking at him)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The Riders and the SAO gang together walk towards the horde of Ride Players)

 **The new beginning**

(The Riders hold up their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The Riders transform into their Lv 2 forms)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The SAO gang turn on Ordinal Scale)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(Together, they all charge at the Ride Player horde)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid goes into Lv 20, and splits into XXL and XXR; Brave twirls into Lv 50, sending a bunch of Ride Players back)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Snipe jumps into Lv 50, and rains fire upon the Ride Players; Ex-Aid jumps down in Lv 99, and slams the ground)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(The Ordinal Scale players make their way through the horde one by one)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Klein, Lisbeth, Silica, Agil, and Leafa stay back, while six figures strike a battle-ready pose. Ex-Aid raises the Breaker to his face, while Kirito goes into his battle stance. Asuna also goes into her battle stance, while Brave flips his Sword around, so he could grab the blade with his free hand. Sinon and Snipe both their weapons tightly)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(A silhouette of Kamen Rider Para-DX Lv 99 glares at them, with his eyes glowing)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid and Para-DX smash their fists together)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(The SAO gang fight various Bugsters from all of the games from the Gashats)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Snipe and Sinon go back to back)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Brave and Asuna slash right next to each other)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Ex-Aid and Kirito together jump up and slash downward, cutting back to the title)

It was another calm morning across the city. Everyone was walking down streets, minding their own businesses.

The same could be said for the Kirigaya household. Kazuto and Suguha were having breakfast. They also had the TV on with the news, and were using it as background noise. Kazuto yawned loudly.

"Up late again?" Suguha teased.

"Yeah…" Kazuto replied. "Just couldn't sleep properly."

They both looked at the TV, with the news still going on. Just then, the screen blacked out, and then it showed GENM Corp. logo with the music of Kamen Rider Chronicle. Then, Amagasaki Ren appeared on screen.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." He started. "I am GENM Corporations' Chief Executive Officer… Amagasaki Ren!"

The siblings quickly stood up and moved over to the couch.

"What does this guy want?" Kazuto asked.

"A few days ago, the Ministry of Defense announced a recall of our newest game, Kamen Rider Chronicle." He went on. "And while that is a feature of our game, it is not a defect."

This was also being shown all over the city. So, the other SAO players were watching it. In addition, the doctors were watching this from Hiro's office as well. Even Taiga and Nico were watching, despite through Nico's phone.

"When all of the Bugsters are defeated and their prizes have been collected…" Ren continued. "You can summon the final boss. And when that final boss is defeated…"

He paused for effect.

"All of the deceased players…" He concluded. "Will be revived!"

That delivered a shock. Kazuto choked on his cup of coffee, making Suguha help him back. Emu, on the other hand, actually dropped his cup of coffee, spilling all over the table.

"Even if you're a poor lass at studying or a physical activity…" Ren went on. "Or even personal matters aren't going in your favor… you can still be a hero!"

Ren then stood up and pulled out a Rider Chronicle Gashat from his shirt pocket. He then walked around his desk so that he is closer to the camera.

"Level up and beat the game…" He finished. "And you can save mankind. That is the way… of Kamen Rider Chronicle!"

He pressed the Gashat, and then his body pixelated into a Ride-Player.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE!**

 **ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!**

He then spun around to deliver his final line before the interview was cut.

"You… my friend…" He declared. "Are the hero of your story!"

Then, the interview ended. Everyone was abuzz thanks to that. They all began to talk about the players who already got a Game Over from Kamen Rider Chronicle.

Nico had a thought. Just as Taiga was out of sight, she quickly snuck away. Taiga had other plans. He had departed to GENM Corp.

Later that day, the SAO players have reconvened at Hiro's office. All the talk they've had up until now was just the announcement that Ren made that morning.

"They're still trying to get people to play this hell game…" Rika muttered.

"But…" Emu spoke up, who had thrown away the last bit of paper towels he used to clean up his coffee spillage. "Is it possible to bring back the players who vanished?"

"Of course not!" The entire room shouted at him.

Suguha quickly moved over beside Emu and whispered into his ear.

"Quick to the trigger, aren't ya?" She remarked.

Emu then realized that he just had a lapse in judgement. Other than Shino, he and Suguha were the only ones in the room that weren't trapped in devil game known as Sword Art Online. And that game is already known for its massive body count.

"There is no way to bring back a lost life." Kazuto made clear. "I found that out the hard way."

A memory flashed into his brain. It was of a particular girl that he knew. He shook it off, ignoring it.

Just then, to break the moment of tension, the alarms went off. Another patient was found. The doctors darted out of the office, with the SAO players right behind them.

The Bugster was located in a nearby amusment park. It was Revol. He was currently with his Bugster soldiers fighting a Ride-Player. All of the bystanders have fled, but the Ride-Player stayed. She was still trying to beat Revol. But she was getting close, as the Bugster soldiers just tossed her around like a doll. One even locked her arms to keep her from moving.

"Let go!" She demanded.

"Target locked." Revol said, as he charged his cannon.

He pulled the trigger, and the cannon bullet landed on the Ride-Player. She was blown back, and was thrown into a pillar. She grunted, and cancelled out of her transformation. That's when Emu and Hiro ran up.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" Emu called.

Emu quickly helped the patient up while Hiro just checked her over.

"Revol's disease." He stated.

Emu nodded, and quickly moved the Ride-Player to safety.

"Please, don't move." He asked. "We'll cure you of your game disease."

"Thank you…" The Ride-Player answered.

Then, the two doctors put on their Gamer Drivers and pulled out their Gashats. They were about to activate it, but they were stopped by call.

"Hold the phone!" The voice called.

The SAO players, in Ordinal Scale, also walked up just in time, only to see that Nico had arrived.

"I'll be going at him!" She declared.

She raised her hand, and she showed them something rather surprising. It was a Rider Chronicle Gashat. She smiled as she pressed it.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

She then did a little dance, and twirled around. She outstretched the Gashat and smiled again.

"Game start!" She called, pressing the Gashat.

 **ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!**

Nico's body then slowly pixelated, but something odd happened. Normally, a Ride-Player just gets normal brown armor on their body and that's just about it. Nico got a whole new armor set. On the brown torso armor, she gained a little sticker with her name on it. On the arm armor, she has the bracelets that she always wore as well. Then, to top it off, she also got the hat she always wore.

"The strongest… cutest… player!" She started. "Ride-Player Nico… is here!"

She got excited, and she prepared herself.

"Hey!" Hiro called. "What are you doing?"

"Buzz off, rarity!" Nico called. "I'm clearing this game!"

She then quickly trotted over to where the SAO players were standing. Since Leafa was the closest, she quickly grabbed her sword.

"Hey!" She exclaimed.

"I'm borrowing this!" Nico called.

She then ran over to Revol, who was trying to assess what was going on. Nico landed right in the middle of a firing squad that he brought with. They all fired, but Nico just simply ducked, and the Bugster soldiers just shot themselves. She stood back up, only to see that the only one left was Revol. She swung the sword around, and charged. Revol began to fire his machinegun, but Nico just used a serpentine move to dodge them. Once she got close enough, she slashed Revol upward. Revol was launched back into a hotdog stand.

"Switching to heavy armaments." He stated.

He then opened up a panel on his arm, which revealed two missiles. He fired them. The missiles flew at her, but Nico was smart. She found an Energy Item, and used it to defend.

 **REFLECT!**

She then twirled and used her sword to fling the missiles right back at Revol. The missiles exploded in Revol's face, knocking him back.

"I'll finish it with this!" Nico then declared.

She looked around and saw a roller coaster track above her. She quickly clambered up a nearby tree and got on the track. Luckily, no roller coasters were going by at the moment.

"Kimewaza!" She called. "Nico… Critical… Slash!"

She then raised the sword over her head, and then jumped down towards Revol. She slammed the sword down, landing a critical hit on Revol. Revol exploded into a fiery smoke. The smoke cleared quickly, and then the announcement went on.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

"Yay!" Nico cheered. "I did it!"

The SAO players slowly walked over to the doctors, who were just as stunned as they are.

"Okay…" Kirito said. "She's good."

Nico tossed Leafa's sword aside, then something caught her attention. There was a small flickering light that had gotten her way to her palm. She threw up her hand, and the light took form. It was the Bang Bang Shooting Gashat, only that the top part was a stub, and there was no black hold.

"What's this?" She asked.

And then on cue, Poppy pixelated into the area.

"Hi~!" She called. "You called?"

Everyone looked over and saw Poppy.

"When you beat a Bugster, the special token of reward is a Gashat-Trophy!" Poppy explained. "On top of that, you're the first Ride-Player in the entire country to beat a Bugster!"

She then pulled out a confetti-cannon out of nowhere, and fired it at her.

"Congratulations!" She cheered.

Nico then celebrated as the confetti rained down from above.

"Keep fighting and beat Bugster until the last boss!" Poppy reminded. "Let's game!"

And on that note, she disappeared. Nico then cancelled out of her transformation.

Then, the SAO players walked over to Nico, while Hiro and Emu moved onto the Ride-Player, who was just cured.

"Why are you playing this game?" Hiro asked, picking up her Gashat. "The Ministry should've made it clear of its ban."

"I'm sorry…" She admitted. "It's just… my little brother got a Gamer Over from this game."

Everyone stopped at that. People are actually buying into the whole players can be revived thing?

"I want to bring him back!" She explained. "He'll come back if I clear the game, right?"

"Well…" Emu began.

He then looked up at Hiro. He shook his head unnoticeably. Emu nodded, and then just changed the subject.

"At least you're okay." Emu smiled, picking her up. "Leave the rest of us to CR."

The girl nodded, and then walked off. Hiro then turned his attention to Nico, who was just being congratulated by the SAO players.

"Then there's you." Hiro stated. "Explain yourself."

"What?" Nico asked confidently. "You got a probl-"

She stopped when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her body. She pixelated orange, and fell on her knees. Sinon and Silica quickly caught her, and Emu quickly rushed over.

"Great…" Hiro sighed. "More unnecessary work."

Then, slowly, everyone hlped Nico into CR.

Taiga quickly rushed into the CR patient room. He saw Nico lying in bed with Emu quickly scanning her over.

"Looks like you're infected with Vernier." Emu answered.

"Vernier, huh?" Nico admitted.

Taiga was overwhelmed with anger right now. Nico had made some dumb mistakes before, but this just was something even she should've avoided.

"Just what the hell were you thinking?!" He yelled as he walked up to her bedside.

Nico glared back at him, propping herself back up.

"What the hell, dude?" She shot back. "It's my turn to shine."

Taiga's face was a mixture of confusion and anger, but Nico had her reasons to back her up.

"Look, I've been just sitting and watching all this time." She explained.

She then reached into her pocket. She pulled out her Rider Chronicle Gashat.

"But with this…" She said. "I can finally help. No one can clear a game faster than I can."

Taiga was really getting tired of this. He wasn't putting up with this anymore.

"You know that game is dangerous." He said. "You get a game over, it's all over!"

"You don't think I know that?" Nico glared back. "There's no way we could get a game over!"

She then laid back down with a pout. Taiga extended his hand out.

"Hand it over." He ordered.

Nico didn't react, so Taiga tried to force it out of her hands, but when he did, Nico yelled in pain as she pixelated orange at an alarming rate.

"Taiga! Stop!" Emu pleaded, breaking the two apart. "You're accelerating her condition!"

"Looks like not being able to play games is her likely source of stress." Hiro added.

"Huh?" Taiga muttered.

Nico then got back up, and just shoved Taiga onto the floor. She then got off her bed and let out her steam.

"All you worry about are Gashats!" She cried. "'I'm the only Kamen Rider they need' my ass!"

She then got on top of Taiga and began to slap him weakly.

"You act like my doctor, but you don't even do anything for me!" She cried. "When I even asked you to beat M for me, but you didn't! Just why are you caring for me?!"

Taiga then just shoved Nico off of him, and then he let out his frustration out.

"You're the one that barged in!" He shouted back.

"Oh, right…" Nico replied. "Then what I do shouldn't concern you!"

She then ran back to her bed, but Taiga got back up to go after her. Emu tried to stop him, but Hiro beat him. He grabbed Taiga by the shoulders and pushed him out of the patient room.

Hiro pushed Taiga out to the hallways, where Taiga just angrily punched a wall.

"We'll handle her game disease." Hiro said.

"It won't matter!" Taiga retorted. "Even if you cure her, she'll just play Kamen Rider Chronicle, so she'll be infected again!"

"Then why did you overlook her safety?" Hiro asked.

Taiga took his fist off of the wall, and looked away from Hiro.

"It's none of your business." He said.

Hiro then sat down at a seat nearby.

"It was only a matter of time she lost her patience." He stated plainly. "With that attitude, you ignored what she wanted to do and didn't try to understand how she thinks."

"Shaddup." Taiga whispered.

He then angrily walked down the hall. Hiro watched as Taiga disappeared, and then Hiro just turned back and reentered the patient room.

Meanwhile, in a nearby city street, the SAO gang were casually taking a stroll down the street. However, someone was a bit off. Shino was on the phone, talking with someone. After a bit of explaining and talking, Shino then hung up the phone.

"Well?" Kazuto asked.

"We're clear." Shino replied.

Everyone then nodded, and quickly darted down the street toward a specific location.

A little while later, they were now in the nearby playground, and were just chilling out in some benches.

"You sure this is going to be okay?" Ryotarou asked.

"We got clearance." Kazuto explained. "And besides, this might be a way to help."

"But… what about Nico?" Keiko asked. "When she tried it, she got infected!"

"I mean, we got the immunity surgery, so an infection should be preventable…" Rika added. "But still, it's not a guarantee."

"I get it: This game isn't safe." Kazuto sighed, but we can't just sit around and do nothing. Let's get going."

He then turned on Ordinal Scale, turning into Kirito. The others followed after him, all turning into their Ordinal Scale Avatars. Once that was done, Kirito reached into his pocket to grab a certain item.

"Here goes nothing…" He muttered to himself.

He pressed on that certain item, activating a game area.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

Kirito pressed it one more time, and then his body began to pixelate again.

 **ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!**

Kirito's body pixelated, but nothing happened. Normally, when someone activates Kamen Rider Chronicle, they get turned into the brown-armored Ride-Player. But, for him, nothing happened. Kirito then pressed the Gashat again, disengaging the game. While no signs of game disease immediately sprang up, but still, nothing happened.

"That's odd…" He admitted.

The others also used their Rider Chronicle Gashats, but then again, much like him, nothing happened.

"Okay…" Klein said. "Should this be happening…?"

"Um…" Everyone else muttered. "No?"

"Well, we proved one theory." Kirito said. "This game has no effects on us."

Everyone smiled lightly, knowing that they'll be able to help the Rider Doctors now.

"Wait." Silica spoke up, looking around. "Where's Sinon?"

Kirito and the others looked around. They were too busy buying their Gashats and then testing their theory of their Rider Chronicle Gashats, they never noticed that Sinon wasn't around.

"She must've gone off somewhere." Leafa suggested.

"Well, she doesn't have to go through it like we did." Asuna commented. "I'll text her."

Speaking of Sinon, or Shino, she had gone inside the GENM Corp. building. After she had bought her Gashat, she saw Taiga walking into the building. While normally, she would've ignored him, but ever since Nico joined, she had been seeing him a lot lately. So, she had quietly followed him inside.

Back in the basements of that said building, a computer screen was showing statistics. It was a line graph, with the right end just soaring to the top of the y-axis.

"Wow!" Poppy yelped happily. "The playerbase is so large now!"

She then happily hopped over to Pallad, who was playing with his portable game device.

"Pallad! Your idea worked!" She smiled.

Pallad also smiled in turn, and then spoke his mind.

"It's only natural." He explained. "Humans value lives the most."

"Lives…?" Poppy muttered.

"Unlike us Bugsters, they only have one chance at it." Pallad went on. "And because of that desire to protect their lives, medical care flourishes."

Poppy thought for a bit, and then slammed her hands together.

"Oh!" She called. "If they think they'll be able to bring back those lives, they'll play the game super harder, right?"

"Bingo." Pallad smiled.

Meanwhile, in the CEO office of the building, Ren was just casually looking through letters from from the two employees that were at his desk. It was letters of resignation.

"What are you doing with this game, sir?" One of them asked. "Are you trying to bring down our company, Mr. CEO?"

"Please… calm yourselves." Ren said. "No one will bring this company down…"

"As long as…" He then said, menacingly ripping the letters into two. "The lives of those that vanished are at stake…"

"So, a corrupt company never changes even with a new CEO?" barged in a voice.

Everyone then turned to see Taiga just strolling into the office with a security guard right behind him.

"I'm sorry, sir." He apologized. "He just barged In-"

"Please." Ren hushed the peanut gallery. "No need for haste. You are all excused."

Then, the two employees and the security guard left the office, leaving Taiga and Ren alone. But they left in such a hurry, they just zoomed past Shino, who hid by the couches outside the office. She quickly peered out and watched what Taiga was doing.

"I don't believe you've made an appointment with me…" Ren chuckled.

"Just cut the crap with bringing back the people that vanished already." Taiga demanded.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Ren replied nonchalantly.

Taiga angrily slammed his hands down on Ren's desk, getting more furious by the second.

"I know that it was all a lie!" He shouted. "You even dragged women and children who love games into this…"

Ren, realizing what all this was about, just stood up from his chair and walked out to one of the spare tables.

"Oh…" He pondered. "I see what this is about… It's about her, isn't it? Saiba Nico… was it?"

"Afraid of losing her?" He added.

Taiga looked back at him with scornful eyes, slowly ready to peak.

"But… don't you have a replacement for her?" Ren added slyly. "A girl by the name of Asada Shino…"

Shino pulled a face when she heard her name slightly there. Taiga, got furious on the other hand. He grabbed Ren by his collar and pinned him to a wall.

"Just who the hell are you?!" He shouted.

"Please let go." Ren asked politely. "These suits are hard to come by."

"Why are you helping the Bugsters?!" Taiga demanded.

"I said you are wrinkling it!" Ren shouted, letting out a scream.

That scream was enough to blow Taiga back into Ren's desk, flipping the table over in the process. Shino, now ignoring her first priority of avoiding exposure, ran into the office and over to Taiga.

"Taiga!" She called. "You alright?"

Taiga didn't pay attention to her, as he was more concerned with Ren.

"Wait…" He said. "You're a Bugster?!"

Ren stood up straight, and try to flatten out the wrinkles on his suit.

"Ruffians like you…" He called out. "Are what I distaste among humans!"

"Then…" He then said, voice changing and putting a rose into his mouth. " _Shall I seduce her_?"

Then, Ren twirled as he dissipated into thin air. Taiga stood up to go after him, but Ren was already gone. He scowled, as Shino just stood beside him.

Back in the hospital, Hiro was eating his weekly intake of sugar, which is a slice of cake. He saw his phone vibrate, which happened to be a text. He read it, as it was from Ministry, and then put it back down, going back to his cake. Just then, Nico walked in, with Emu right behind her.

"Why are you letting the patient into my office?" Hiro asked.

"You think I let her?" Emu replied. "She just got out of bed on her own!"

"There's stuff on Vernier around here, right?" Nico asked.

"Yeah…" Emu replied. "But we would be at a lot more of an ease if you were in the quarantine room."

"I'll cure myself, thank you very much." Nico shot back.

She then moved over to one of the couches, and pulled out her game console. She turned it on, and began to play.

"But…" Hiro spoke up. "That was quite something from a genius gamer, beating Revol that quickly."

"That was nothing." Nico replied. "But Taiga… I just don't get that guy!"

"Gaming is my career." She went on. "And Taiga's treating it like some crime!"

"At least try to understand his concern for you." Emu chimed in.

"I do!" Nico shouted back, kicking Emu in his groin. "It's just… why do I have to understand him? He doesn't even make sense half the time!"

Just then, the alrams went off in his office. The doctors responded, but Nico was the first one to run off. They knew it had to be Vernier, so Nico took the lead. Emu and Hiro ran right behind her.

"Hey." Hiro called, still running.

"Yes?" Emu replied.

"You got that text from the Ministry, right?" Hiro asked.

"Yes." Emu answered. "You think it might be for the best?"

Hiro didn't reply, but simply made a face. That was enough of an answer for Emu.

Meanwhile, walking down a river, Taiga and Shino just received the alarm as well through their phones. Taiga was about to throw his phone out of frustration, but he stopped himself, with Nico's words echoing through his mind.

"Hey!" Sinon called. "Are we going or not?"

Taiga looked down, pondering what to do.

It was just as they thought. Vernier was fighting a Ride-Player in some kind of park with a large fountain nearby. The Ride-Player was trying his hardest to even land a hit on him, but Vernier would just basically bounce him from the ground like a basketball.

"There he is!" Nico called.

"Nico, it'd be best if you stayed back." Emu suggested.

"Over my dead body!" Nico shot back.

"Let's just finish this before her stress go out of hand." Hiro replied.

Emu and Hiro put on their Gamer Drivers and pulled out their Gashats, but they were stopped by someone. From behind a tree, Ren walked out with a rose in his hands.

"Welcome, gentlemen." He said.

"GENM'S CEO?" Emu asked.

"What are you doing here?" Hiro asked.

"Well, I called this in, of course!" Ren replied, twirling.

He then pointed at Nico, who got startled a bit.

"These pests shall be rid of by yours truly." Ren declared. "Please, miss, enjoy the game to your heart's content."

He reached into his jacket, and then pulled out a BugVisor. He pressed the A Button, beginning its startup sequence.

" _Baiou…_ " He said with his voice changing.

He pressed the A Button once more, and then he changed form.

 **INFECTION!**

 **LET'S GAME! BAD GAME! DEAD GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **THE BUGSTER!**

Ren's body turned into a Bugster with white cloak and shoulder pad that seemed to resemble a bouquet, and his legs were green. He twirled around, placing one foot on its toes, and made pose resembling a stroked chin.

" _Now come out, my lovely girls!_ " He then called.

And on that note, Poppy and a group of Bugsters in maido outfits appeared.

"The game begins!" Poppy declared.

"What in the world…?" Hiro muttered.

"Poppy?" Emu questioned.

But they had no time, and they just went to activating their Gashats.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

"Alrighty then!" Nico smiled, activating her Gashat.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

"Proceeding to Level 2." Hiro said. "Henshin."

"Dai Henshin!" Emu called.

Then they both inserted their Gashats into their Gamer Drivers, and then they opened them up.

 **GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

"Game Start!" Nico called, pressing her Gashat again.

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!**

They all transformed into their respective Rider forms. With Hiro and Emu becoming Brave and Ex-Aid, and Nico just becoming her Ride-Player self.

Nico then ran over to Vernier. Brave and Ex-Aid went after her, but the Bugster stopped them by blowing them away with a twirl.

"Now, go get them, my _lovely girls_!" He called.

Then, all of the maido Bugsters ran towards them, with the Bugster himself and Poppy staying behind.

The maido Bugsters… had a unique fighting style. For example, with Brave, they just bopped him back forth in between themselves, with an occasional slap here and there. With Ex-Aid, they did the same, the only difference being that they would sometimes bump him with their bums. Snipe's appearance didn't make the situation any better. As he ran up, he fired the Gashacon Magnum, but every direct hit was registered as a "MISS!" He continued on, but the Bugster had other ideas.

" _Oh, I don't think so!_ " He called.

He extended out his hand, and several strings of vines at Snipe, binding him. He threw him away from the fight, but Snipe quickly retaliated by firing more shots. However, the Bugster just spun around, flower petals flying everywhere, making the laser blasts dance around him. Then, raising one hand, the laser shots were directed right onto Ex-Aid, Brave, and Snipe.

Meanwhile, Nico tumbled on the ground, but she stood back up quickly. She quickly ran forward for a punch, but Vernier just fired a barrage of bullets that just forced her back. Once Vernier stopped firing, he took to the air and dove down at Nico. Nico braced herself, but something caught her attention.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

 **ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!**

Sinon jumped into the scene, holding her Ordinal Scale sniper rifle. She held it up, and pulled the trigger. Vernier smoked a bit, and landed a few feet away from Nico.

"Hey!" She called. "Where did you come from?"

"You're welcome." Sinon replied, with an eyebrow raised.

Then, behind her, the rest of the SAO gang appeared. They all just put away their Rider Chronicle Gashats away for a bit.

"So, what did we miss?" Kirito asked, pulling out his sword.

"Oh, not much." Sinon replied.

Then, together, with Nico going ahead, the entire SAO gang attacked Vernier.

Meanwhile, back with the Riders, they tumbled to the front of a large fountain. The Bugster walked down to them, arms crossed, and his entourage of maido Bugsters and Poppy behind him.

"Now then…" He said, still in his seductive voice. "How about you all come at me?"

"Master Lovelica~~!" Poppy cheered, with the Bugsters maidos squealing.

The Riders slammed their fists on the ground, and just raged their frustration on Lovelica, who, still somehow registered all of their hits as misses. He twirled around, unleashing an aura that sent them back again. Snipe growled, and fired several more shots, but Lovelica received no damage.

"You're making my heart pound!" He called, doing a small Michael Jackson-esque pelvic thrust move. "OW!"

"Don't get too cocky!" Brave shouted.

He and Ex-Aid slashed together, this time, holding their blades down on Lovelica's body. However, those were still registered as misses, which got them thrown back to Snipe.

"None of our attacks are working!" Ex-Aid said.

"Well, only ruffians resort to violence, no?" Lovelica chuckled.

Then, he made an X shape with his arms. Then, the maido Bugsters and Poppy together yelled "Boo, boo!"

A large X suddenly appeared and landed on the bodies of the three Riders. While nothing happened, only a dark and gloomy anime cloud just appeared over them.

"Wait, booing?" Ex-Aid asked.

"I am Lovelica." Lovelica introduced himself. "My game, Toki Meki Crisis, is a game where you use your personal charm to appeal to the opposite gender, winning their hearts!"

As he explained his game, the maido Bugsters lined up beside him, letting Lovelica greet them one by one. At the end of the line, he stroked Poppy's chin, making her comically faint and the other maido Bugsters catch her.

"And… her wish to play this game is pure!" Lovelice announced, pointing to somewhere far off.

He was pointing at Nico, who was currently locked arms with Vernier. However, she didn't seem to be excepting the help of the SAO Players. When Vernier threw her off, he fired his machine guns, which Kirito and Klein both deflected the bullets from. Nico would just stand tall, and just shove them out of the way, only wishing to get the final blow on Vernier herself.

"To her, I say…" Lovelica smiled. "I-Love-You!"

Then, all of the maido Bugsters and Popyp squealed, all assortment of hearts all flowing out of them. They all gathered around above Lovelica, who just absorbed them into his body. He glowed a bit.

"Let me share some with you!" He called out.

He then threw out three hand gestures, which fired out three heart shaped energy blasts. They landed on the three Riders' chests, and, somehow, they were blown into the air, and then dropped into the fountain. They all cancelled out of their transformation as well.

 **GASHUNN!**

"What… was that?" Hiro asked.

"That was an attack!" Emu deduced. "I think… it was a spell that uses words with a high level of charm!"

Then, all of the maido Bugsters, Poppy, and Lovelica began to point and laugh at the three Riders' humiliating predicament, but the Riders weren't paying attention to that.

Nico, who had just been kicked out of the way, looked over and saw Taiga. She quickly got up to speak to him.

"Taiga!" She called. "Why are you here? Don't get in my way!"

Vernier went for an opening, but the SAO gang blocked his path. So, Vernier responded appropriately. He took to the air, and fired a set of rockets at the SAO gang, which sent them flying into the water fountain as well. He also wasted no time in firing another set of rockets at Nico, which also sent her flying into the water fountain. However, Taiga caught her, stumbling a bit. The other two Riders helped the SAO gang. As a result of Vernier's attack, they all cancelled out of their transformations.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

However, Nico wasn't having any of that. She just kicked Taiga off of her.

"Shaddup!" She yelled. "This is your fault!"

Taiga fell again, but he caught himself before his full body became submerged in the water. All the while, Lovelica and his Bugster entourage laughed on.

"Well, would you look at that?" He smirked. "A word of advice: Raise your charm!"

"Oh, but what am I saying?" He corrected himself. "Conceited ruffians like you will never be able to do such a feat, so why am I even telling you this?"

He laughed loudly, along with his Bugster entourage. Taiga, realizing something, stood up, and faced Lovelica with piercing eyes.

"I don't fight because I like to." He stated, making everyone stop and turn to him for a bit. "Everyone has a future they can call their own… That's why I fight, as I have nothing else left… No matter how hard the fight will be… or whoever resents me for it… I'll fight alone."

"But…" He added, looking over to Nico. "Despite not having a license, you said I'm your doctor. That made me happy in a long time."

He walked over to her, and placed his hand on her shoulder, uncharacteristically soothingly for him.

"If being unable to play games stresses you, then I won't stop you anymore." He said. "Just… don't leave my side."

"Taiga…" Nico whispered.

Then, he walked over to Shino. She had picked herself up, but was still stumbling a bit.

"And you, Shino." He said. "Do you still resent me about your mother?"

Shino stopped a bit, taken aback by his question. Shino stuttered a bit, but eventually came to an answer.

"I've gotten past her death…" She admitted. "But… I'd be lying if the resentment was still… kind of there."

"Despite this, you stand by me." Taiga responded. "Why?"

"Well…" Shino stuttered again. "I guess… blaming you isn't going to get me anywhere… so…"

Taiga, satisfied with the answer, then turned back to face the Bugsters. Lovelica was befuddled by what was going on, but the maido Bugsters were began to gleam with affection. Taiga pulled out his Gashat Gear Dual β and twisted the knob.

 **BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!**

 **I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP! I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP!**

"Phase 50." He announced. "Henshin!"

He then inserted it into his Driver and opened the Driver.

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **SCRAMBLE DA! SHUTSUGEKI HASSHIN! BANG BANG SIMULATIONS! HASSHIN!**

Taiga transformed into Snipe Lv 50 form. He quickly turned back to Nico.

"You're my patient." He said. "I'll cure your game disease no matter how many times you get infected."

Nico stayed silent, only being in awe. He then looked over to Shino.

"And this… is my atonement." He said. "For not being able to save her…"

Hiro heard most of it, but still, he just shrugged it off. Shino bit her lip, not knowing how to respond.

Vernier then began to charge at Snipe. He first went for a punch, but Snipe blocked it. He then gave him his own punch, followed by another kick to the body. He then landed an uppercut, which sent Vernier flying back onto his back, into the water. He then closed his Driver. He wasn't wasting time.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

He quickly opened up his Driver again, and clasp his gauntlets together. The cannon barrels on his upper arm all positioned themselves towards Vernier, and began powering up.

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FIRE!**

He fired at Vernier, who took the blast all over his body and his face. As a result, he exploded, thus giving Snipe a Game Clear and curing Nico of her game disease.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

After that was done, Snipe cancelled out of his transformation, and reverted back to Taiga.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Once that was done, Nico quickly hopped over to Taiga, grabbing hold of his arm.

"Taiga!" She called. "Would it be okay for me to say 'I'm sorry' now?"

Taiga just looked away, flustered.

"Just don't do it much." He replied.

Shino hobbled over to them. She just patted Taiga's shoulder with only a slight chuckle.

"Thank goodness…" Poppy whispered.

Emu saw this, and quickly got interested.

"Poppy…?" He asked.

However, Lovelica wasn't having any of it. He hastily tried to get his maido Bugsters' eyes off of Taiga. Speaking of which, the maido Bugsters all had hearts flowing out of them.

"Enough! Stop! Stop it, this instant!" He beckoned, throwing them all off their feet.

He quickly turned his frustration over to Nico and Shino.

"Well... you're the same!" He declared. "You both have no taste in men!"

"Is that so?" Shino responded.

"Well, you're super samui*!" Nico retorted.

That struck a nerve within Lovelica, as he went full anime-mode here. He froze over entirely, and then he was flung into the air. He landed back on the ground, but in the fountain with a loud thud. He was wet all over, but he tried to keep it professional.

"Dislike me all you want!" He said hastily, all flustered. "But you'll soon fall for me!"

He then splashed some water and disappeared away, along with his maido Bugsters and Poppy.

"What's up with that guy?" Shino asked.

Just then, Emu walked up to them.

"Taiga. Nico." He said. "From now on, can we fight together against the Bugsters?"

"HUH?" Nico sounded loudly. "No way in hell I'd co-op with you!"

She then shoved Emu really hard, making him fall into the water again. Kazuto and Ryotaro quickly picked him though.

"We'll clear Kamen Rider Chronicle." Taiga declared.

Then, together with Nico, he began to walk away. As they went along, Nico suggested that they eat something warm.

"Looks like you weren't the one to return her smile." Hiro commented.

However, Shino was confident.

"Taiga can look after her." She said. "They'll be fine."

Then, the SAO gang and the two doctors also began to walk away. As they went though, Rika and Suguha complained about being wet, so Kazuto treated them to a nice, warm bowl of ramen at a restaurant nearby. Unfortunately, he didn't have any cash on him, so Emu had to pay for it.

Later that night, Emu was back home, lying on his bed. He had his AmuSphere on as well.

Emu, as Ex-Aid in ALO, was just walking around Brave's mansion. He entered his room to sort out some item he had gotten in a recent quest he had been on. As he walked over to his item drawer, he noticed something. It was something on small coffeetable by the side of his bed. It was a small bed, small enough to fit a pixie in. He remembered something, and began to hope for the best.

" _Thank goodness…"_

"Poppy…" He whispered, walking over to the bed.

He then began to make the small bed.

"That smile…" He whispered to himself.

 _ ***(Samui means cold/lame in Japanese)**_


	36. Turncoats

Chapter 36: Turncoats

 **I've gotta believe!**

(Kirito and Ex-Aid are back to back, facing a horde of Bugsters. They lift their weapons and charge as the title appears)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara**

(The SAO gang are chilling out together in a nearby café)

 **I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(Suddenly, all bystanders all transform into Ride-Players)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far**

(Brave remembers the time that Yuko died, with Asuna's afterimage looking at him; Snipe remembers the time he was defeated by Graphite, with Sinon's afterimage looking at him)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The Riders and the SAO gang together walk towards the horde of Ride Players)

 **The new beginning**

(The Riders hold up their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The Riders transform into their Lv 2 forms)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The SAO gang turn on Ordinal Scale)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(Together, they all charge at the Ride Player horde)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid goes into Lv 20, and splits into XXL and XXR; Brave twirls into Lv 50, sending a bunch of Ride Players back)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Snipe jumps into Lv 50, and rains fire upon the Ride Players; Ex-Aid jumps down in Lv 99, and slams the ground)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(The Ordinal Scale players make their way through the horde one by one)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Klein, Lisbeth, Silica, Agil, and Leafa stay back, while six figures strike a battle-ready pose. Ex-Aid raises the Breaker to his face, while Kirito goes into his battle stance. Asuna also goes into her battle stance, while Brave flips his Sword around, so he could grab the blade with his free hand. Sinon and Snipe both their weapons tightly)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(A silhouette of Kamen Rider Para-DX Lv 99 glares at them, with his eyes glowing)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid and Para-DX smash their fists together)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(The SAO gang fight various Bugsters from all of the games from the Gashats)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Snipe and Sinon go back to back)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Brave and Asuna slash right next to each other)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Ex-Aid and Kirito together jump up and slash downward, cutting back to the title)

There was stillness in the air. Poppy was sitting on a main computer processor, while Pallad was playing on his mobile game device a bit away from her. Graphite entered the room after a few minutes have passed.

"So…" He spoke. "I heard the Lovelica lost?"

"Well… not exactly." Pallad corrected. "It's more like his heart got hit with a wrench."

Graphite couldn't help but chuckle at that. For some odd reason, having Lovelica's ego being crushed was somehow amusing.

"Alright then…" He admitted. "I guess it's my turn…"

"Well, not yet." Pallad interrupted. "Leave this to me for a while."

With that said, Graphite simply nodded, and sat down on another computer. Poppy quickly got up though. Something seemed… a bit off with her.

"What are you going to do?" She asked.

"Is something the matter?" Graphite replied, worried for his Bugster comrade.

"N-No…" Poppy replied a bit timidly. "Just… curious…"

Pallad listened to her answer, and just simply walked out. Graphite just sat on the computer, with Poppy turning away.

"Poppy Pipopapo smiled?" Hiro asked.

It was early morning, and the two doctors, Emu and Hiro, were just resting on one of the tables. Hiro poured himself a cup of coffee as he sat down though.

"Yes." Emu replied. "When Taiga and Nico reconciled…"

He recalled to the moment in the previous chapter. When Lovelica was beaten, she whispered "Thank goodness…", but no one noticed it. Emu did, and that's been on his mind ever since.

"Pallad said that her memory was reset though." Hiro commented. "It might have been her approval of how the game was playing."

"No." Emu spoke up. "I've been with her long enough to know her smiles. And that smile… was a genuine one."

The two stayed silent, pondering what to do next. However, the alarms suddenly went off, signaling that there was a patient in need. The two ran out to save that patient.

Elsewhere, a phone buzzed. Nico picked it up, and saw that it was a Bugster alarm. She walked over to another room, where all of her stuff was decked ornately. Taiga was just lying on a nearby bed, fiddling with a Rubik's Cube.

"Hey, Taiga." Nico spoke. "You got a call. You going for it?"

"No need." Taiga replied, finishing one side. "Our only goal is beating Kamen Rider Chronicle."

He then sat up, as Nico placed his phone beside him and pulled out her own.

"More importantly, have there been any Bugster sightings?" He asked.

Nico hummed a bit as she searched through her social media page.

"Yep." She responded after a while. "Salty and Alhambra."

Then, with that said, the two stood up and left to fight those two Bugsters.

Meanwhile, a Ride-Player was fighting a Bugster. But it wasn't your usual Bugsters.

Para-DX was just wailing on him. He had just powered up with a Speed Up Energy Item, and was now currently running this way and that to dodge all of the Ride-Player's attacks. After a bit, Para-DX landed a punch on the Ride-Player's back. The Ride-Player stumbled a bit, but he stood back up quick.

"Wow…" Para-DX complimented. "You're surprisingly resilient."

"Thanks." The Ride-Player smiled.

He used that opening to get a small scratch on Para-DX. He stumbled a bit, but then the Ride-Player used his weapon to land a strike on his stomach. Para-DX, while not taking any sort of real damage, he was taken back a bit.

"Huh…" Para-DX muttered. "You… you're one of them, aren't you?"

The Ride-Player braced himself for another attack, but was interrupted when Hiro and Emu rolled in.

"Pallad!" Emu called out.

Para-DX turned around and smiled brightly as he saw Emu.

"Been waiting for ya, M!" He called back. "Wanna play with me?"

Emu and Hiro ignored Para-DX, and just put on their Gamer Drivers and pulled on their Gashats.

"Save the patient." Hiro ordered, pressing his Gashats.

"Right." Emu replied, pressing his Gashat.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!**

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

As all of the Gashat's activated, they both inserted their Gashats into their Drivers.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO!**

 **GASHATTO! GASHATTO!**

"Proceeding to Level 3." Hiro stated. "Henshin."

"Max Dai Henshin!" Emu called out.

Then together, they opened up their Drivers.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!**

 **SAIDAIKYU NO POWERFUL BODY! MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **DO-DO-DO-RE-MI-FA! SO-LA-SI-DO! OK!** **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

Emu and Hiro both quickly transformed into Ex-Aid Level 99 and Brave Level 3 respectively. Then, they both jumped down to face Pallad. Brave quickly threw a punch at Para-DX, but he just knocked the punch away. Ex-Aid then marched over, and despite the large body, he was quite agile. Para-DX threw an arm swing at Ex-Aid, and Ex-Aid simply caught it and twisted, so that Para-DX is unable to move.

"I'm leaving him to you!" Brave called, quickly running over to the Ride-Player.

"Right!" Ex-Aid replied.

Ex-Aid then threw Para-DX to the side, and began to engage him. Brave, on the other hand, made his way over to the Ride-Player, who seemed to recognize them.

"You guys?" The Ride-Player said. "You fellas here to help?"

"You know us?" Brave asked.

The Ride-Player pulled out his Gashat, and he pressed it cancelling out of his transformation. It was revealed that the Ride-Player was Agil.

"You?" Brave spluttered. "Why are you playing this?"

"Well…" Agil argued. "This game has been all of the rage lately… so I decided to give it a go!"

"You know this game is dangerous!" Brave scolded. "Stop this now!"

"Why?" Agil asked. "Give me an explanation!"

Just then, alarm sounds blared across the area. Just then, Poppy pixelated into the game area, wearing the cyan BugVisor and her smile.

"Hi!" She called. "Poppy Pipopapo will guide you through the game!"

Ex-Aid looked over to see Poppy. He quickly threw Para-DX away from him, and quickly began to make his way over to her.

"elping players is against the rules!" Poppy said, pulling out a pink Gashat.

She pressed the Gashat, and then twirled around.

 **TOKI MEKI CRISIS!**

"Henshin…" She uttered, inserting the Gashat into the BugVisor and pressing the button below it.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP…**

 **DREAMING GIRL! HEY! KOI NO SIMULATION! OTOME WA ITSUMO TOKI MEKI CRISIS! HEY!**

Poppy quickly transformed into Kamen Rider Poppy, along with her red eyes, and she raised the BugVisor to her hand.

"Popapipu Penalty…" She said in her ominous voice again. "Disqualification."

She aimed the BugVisor at Agil, and she fired. Brave quickly shoved him out of the way, but he took the full front of the attack. Somehow, he was forced out of his transformation, turning back into Hiro.

"What the…" He whispered, looking around him.

Ex-Aid stopped when he just saw what happened. He was just as surprised as Hiro was.

"Poppy, stop!" He begged.

Poppy quickly pivoted her head over to face Ex-Aid, and just smiled innocently.

"I'm a navigator." She smiled. "I'm a character that punishes those that break the rules!"

Agil, angrily standing back up, quickly pressed his Gashat again.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

"Well, I ain't standing here getting mocked by a game character!" He shouted, pressing the Gashat again.

 **ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!**

Agil quickly transformed into another Ride-Player, and just charged at Poppy. However, when he raised his weapon for a slash, Poppy turned her BugVisor around, activating the chainsaw bit. She simply slashed Agil twice, which was enough to launch him back. Agil was thrown into a metal pole, where his transformation got cancelled. Hiro quickly rushed over to him, but then he noticed a large cut Agil got on his leg.

"Why is a navigator attacking players?" He asked.

"I'm also DoReMiFa Beat's Bugster!" Poppy replied. "So be careful, as I might beat you too!"

Ex-Aid opened his mputh to say something, but Para-DX jumped in. However, but he just tossed him aside.

"Poppy, this isn't you!" He cried. "Come to your senses!"

Poppy just tilted her head, making a confused sound.

"Don't waste your energy, intern." Hiro spoke up. "You're not going to change her."

"But…!" Ex-Aid spluttered.

At this point, Para-DX was just getting annoyed. He just wanted to fight Ex-Aid, but the latter was acting like he wasn't even there. He sighed in a very annoyed tone.

"Alright, M!" He called. "Pay attention to our fight here!"

"Move it!" Ex-Aid quickly shot back, pushing Para-DX away.

Para-DX got really ticked off, and just grabbed some Energy Items to get Ex-Aid's attention.

 **MUSCLE UP! SPEED UP!**

Then, he began to vibrate, turning into a blur. He then ran all around Ex-Aid, landing a punch of hits on him. However, Ex-Aid wasn't paying attention to any of that.

"You… said it yourself…!" He called. "That all Bugsters aren't bad!"

Ex-Aid then recalled some time ago, remembering what Poppy said about Bugermon.

"Please, remember!" He begged.

"But…" Poppy started. "It's also against the rules to go against the navigator!"

She then, without hesitation, just aimed her BugVisor at Ex-Aid and fired. Ex-Aid was thrown back a bit, but it wasn't anything major.

"Now you get it, M?" Para-DX chimed in. "Now, stop being a busybody and fight me!"

Para-DX picked Ex-Aid up by his neck, and got prepared for another fight. But still, Ex-Aid was focused more on Poppy. So, he just pulled out his KeySlasher.

"Get lost!" He shouted, slashing Para-DX away.

Para-DX was thrown aside like a ragdoll, and received critical damage. Ex-Aid then turned to Poppy. She was still standing there innocently.

"Looks like I have no choice then!" He told himself.

He pressed the yellow button of the KeySlasher, activating the gun feature.

 **ZU-KYU-KYU-KYUNN!**

He then pulled out the Maximum Mighty X Gashat from his Driver and inserted it into the KeySlasher.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Hiro was actually surprised by what Ex-Aid was about to do.

'Is he going to kill her?' He thought.

Ex-Aid, let the attack charge up as he carefully aimed it Poppy. Poppy, in turn, aimed her BugVisor at Ex-Aid.

 **MAXIMUM CRITICAL FINISH!**

Both Riders fired their attacks, but Ex-Aid's quickly overpowered Poppy's. Ex-Aid's blast hit Poppy, and several pixelating sounds could be heard, along with a large sphere that appeared momentarily. When the attack dissipated, Poppy was cancelled out of her transformation, and she fell on her knees. Ex-Aid looked at her cautiously, but then he also cancelled out his transformation.

 **GACHANN!**

Ex-Aid turned back into Emu, and crouched down to Poppy. He grabbed hold of her hands, and spoke.

"Poppy?" He whispered.

Poppy rolled her eyes around for a bit, but then she focused on Emu.

"Emu…?" She started.

Emu smiled happily at her response.

"Poppy!" He smiled happily. "You're back! Thank goodness!"

Then, surprisingly, Emu hugged Poppy. Poppy, having no idea of what was happening, raised her arms, but she just put them back down. Hiro, standing up, was just as confused as Poppy.

"You reprogrammed her?" He asked.

"Yes." Emu replied, picking up Poppy. "I figured if I rewrote her evil genes, she would go back to normal."

Poppy took what Emu just said in. She quickly turned away and looked into a mirror.

"Go back… to normal?" She whispered to herself.

From behind, Para-DX turned back into Pallad. He was just annoyed now. After all, Emu showed up, but he didn't even bat an eye to him.

"You just don't get it, do you, M?" He said. "Kamen Rider Chronicle is a game where humans and Bugsters fight each other with their lives on the line!"

"Poppy is not one to hurt players!" Emu shot back, looking back at Poppy. "She's a kind, always smiling character, who enjoys music, together with a player!"

Poppy gasped quietly. She had known Emu just as much as he knew about her, but this was something different. Emu was defending her, despite of her state of being a Bugster.

"Emu…" She whispered to herself.

Emu turned to face Poppy. He then extended out a hand.

"Let's go back to CR." He asked warmly. "You're our friend, right?"

Pallad scowled, and just shoved Emu out of the way.

"No!" He declared. "She's a Bugster. One of us!"

Poppy didn't know how to respond. She was now at a crossroads. She doesn't know which path would be best suited for her.

"Stop screwing around!" Emu shouted back, grabbing Pallad by his collar. "Poppy's our friend!"

"Who cares about that stuff?" Pallad whined. "Just play with me more seriously! There's no point in anything except playing with you!"

Hiro took notice at what Pallad just said.

"Lives are at stake here!" Emu shouted back. "I don't have time to waste playing with you."

Pallad scowled at that remark, but he couldn't do anything about that. He just simply turned away, grabbing Poppy along the way.

"We're leaving." He said.

Poppy couldn't ract in time, as she was just taken away with Pallad, pixelating away. Emu couldn't reach her in time, but he just shouted Poppy's name.

Andrew (Agil) later found himself in CR's examination room. Emu was there, but still preoccupied with Poppy. But, he wasn't alone. Some of the SAO players have assembled here. Kazuto and Ryotarou were the only ones present. The girls are off doing their own business. Emu had just finished a scan, but he was still spaced out.

"Doc." Andrew called. "How's it looking?"

Emu didn't reply. So, in turn, Kazuto stood up and spoke in his stead.

"Agil. You're infected with Poppy's virus." He said.

"I'm infected by the female character's game disease, huh?" Andrew sighed. "Wow, what a turn of events."

Ryotarou, meanwhile, just took a look at Andrew's Rider Chronicle Gashat.

"Y'know, this game is dangerous." He said. "Why were you playing it?"

"I dunno…" Matt admitted, sitting up. "Guess… peer pressure."

"Peer pressure?" Kazuto asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Andrew explained. "I saw you guys having so much fun, so I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about."

He then looked at his hand, clenching a fist.

"So…" He began. "All I have to do is beat that character to get cured, right?"

It was at this moment where Emu finally came back to life.

"Excuse me, Mr. Mills…" He began. "But Poppy is not a bad character…"

The three SAO players looked at Emu. Emu braced himself for a storm of retaliation, but surprisingly, Andrew was quite cool with it.

"And judging by what I saw back there, I feel the same." He admitted. "But… you can't really cure me without beating her."

Ryotarou then wrapped his arm around Andrew's neck, giving him a shoulder hug.

"Don't worry, dude!" He smiled. "We'll figure something out!"

Emu smiled. He only hoped that Ryotarou would be right.

Meanwhile, back in Hiro's office, he was just silently helping himself to a coffee cake slice. However, he wasn't eating just as his daily suger intake. He had something on his mind, and was using the cake slice as fuel. Pallad had always been a riddle to him. What he just said before in battle just added more to the confusion.

'Why is he so obsessed with the intern…?' He thought.

Just then, Emu and Kazuto just entered the office. Ryotarou stayed behind to keep Andrew company. Hiro just went back to his cake slice, as Kazuto pulled out his phone and Emu made himself a cup of coffee.

"What should I do…?" Emu muttered. "Andrew's been infected with Poppy's virus…"

"Then we'll just have to cut her." Hiro replied. "She's an enemy of humanity right now."

"But…" Emu argued. "I don't want to fight Poppy as a bad person…"

"Don't let personal feelings get in the way!" Hiro scolded, raising his voice. "A doctor's job is to save the patient."

Emu pouted, but Kazuto didn't seem to respond, though he did react to sudden outburst from Hiro.

"I know…" Emu argued again, sitting down next to Hiro. "I just want to save Poppy too!"

Hiro and Kazuto took that statement in. However, they still had some valid arguments on their side. Hiro was about to say something, but Kazuto spoke up.

"Don't you get it?" He said. "She's still a Bugster. Which means she infected someone herself to get where she is now."

Emu realized what the two were trying to say. He just stared down at his cup of coffee, contemplating what to do.

 _A young woman seemed to be suffering. She was jerking back and forth on a hospital bed. However, she was shining yellow, while bubbles of orange began to evaporate off of her. With her final moments, she knocked over a vase…_

Poppy suddenly gasped violently. She was back in the main server room where the Bugsters seemed to be using as a hideout. She held herself as she slowly recovered from her… nightmare.

"What was that just now?" She asked.

Graphite and Pallad looked up at her. They looked concerned for their comrade.

"What's the matter?" Graphite asked.

"I just… had a nightmare…" Poppy admitted. "But… it was more like a memory… a memory of someone I don't know…"

"Oh…" Pallad replied. "It's probably your host's save data. Courtesy if M's reprogramming."

"Host?" Poppy asked.

Graphite stood up, and walked up to Poppy.

"When Bugsters take over a host's body, their save data is transferred to us." Graphite explained, looking at his hand. "I have memories of Brave's girlfriend. You're no exception."

Poppy, with that explanation, then just left the room. Pallad quickly went after her, telling Graphite to stay put.

Ex-Aid, in ALO, sat silently on his bed. But he had his eyes set on soemthing. It was a small bed that he had just made just last chapter. It was Poppy's bed. He would always see her small body tucked underneath the covers of the small bed. But he also had a picture. It was of their first Quest together in ALO. The words from Pallad and Kazuto repeated in his mind. Still, he was determined to get Poppy back.

Nightfall came soon. The city was now lit by its streetlights, building lights, and all of the cars' headlights going down the road. Poppy was sitting on a metal cooling unit, where wind blew her pink hair slightly.

"You know, you could get cold up here." Called a voice.

Poppy looked to see that Pallad came to her. He was curious at to what Poppy was doing.

"Whatcha doing up here?" He asked.

"Pallad…" Poppy whispered. "Because of me… someone lost her life…"

"Yeah." Pallad replied. "All the more reason for the humans to hate you."

He then sat down next to her.

"Now, take that as a fuel to beat the humans." Pallad smiled.

Poppy, however, wasn't having it. She still had plenty of questions. She stood up from her seat, facing Pallad.

"Why do we have to fight?" Poppy asked.

Pallad smiled, and stood up from his seat as well.

"That's just how Kamen Rider Chronicle made us to be." He explained. "Bugsters and humans are meant to fight each other."

"Being able to fight humans to our hearts' content…" He continued. "Is the greatest gif that can be bestowed upon us Bugsters!"

"But I-" Poppy started.

Pallad turned a complete 180 from his jovile self. As he grabbed Poppy by her neck and lifted her up. He then darted over to the edge of the building, holding Poppy over by the edge. Poppy's eyes widened with fear as Pallad stared her down.

"You should learn to enjoy the game more…" He whispered ominously.

He then threw Poppy aside back on the roof, and just stormed off. Poppy held her throat, still at the same crossroads she just can't take a stance on.

Next morning, Nico and Taiga were just chilling by a bench. However, Nico seemed to be slightly annoyed.

"Well that was a waste." She whined.

"What is?" Taiga asked.

"Well, we saw the sighting of Salty and Alhambra yesterday…" Nico explained. "And we did beat them… but no Gashat-Trophy! What the hell!"

"That just means someone beat you to them." Called a voice.

Taiga and Nico turned to see Rika, Asuna, and Keiko walking up to them. Usually, they wouldn't just bat an eye to them and tell them to hit the road. However, something caught their attention. Rika was holding the Mighty Action X Gashat-Trophy, while Asuna was holding the Taddle Quest Gashat-Trophy.

"How do you have those?" Nico asked.

"Well…" Rika smirked. "You want the long answer or the short answer?"

"Don't mess with us!" Taiga growled.

"Yeah, yeah." Rika spoke up. "We just beat the Bugsters and got the spoils of war for ya!"

Taiga and Nico got more puzzled.

"Well, we just arranged a party together." Asuna explained. "A group of players can make a party with each other and beat this game together."

"Nico, we already made you a party member." Keiko added. "Have you checked your Augma?"

Nico then looked up. She scrolled down her menu for Kamen Rider Chronicle, and found that she was in a party. Along with the doctor Riders, there were also the SAO survivors.

"Huh." Nico muttered.

Taiga, meanwhile, had other questions.

"How are you able to play this game?" He asked. "I thought the Ministry banned it from the general public."

"Well, we got special clearance." Spoke a voice. "I asked for it myself."

Everyone then saw Shino walking towards them. She had her phone in hand. Taiga scoffed, and just turned away.

"Don't celebrate yet, brats." He said. "They were just lower-tier Bugsters."

"I know, I know." Shino confided.

She just looked at her phone, and checked for any other Bugster sightings.

"Well… would you look at that?" She said. "Poppy Pipopapo has been sighted!"

"Where?" Keiko asked.

Shino scrolled down the forum, and found more information. With that said, the lost all ran in the direction of where Poppy was sighted.

They weren't the only ones who had gotten the notification. Hiro was walking down the halls of the hospital, speaking to Emu on the phone.

"Poppy Pipopapo has been sighted." He said. "I'm on my way now."

"Is it Poppy?" Emu asked.

"Yeah." Hiro replied. "You'll be observing the operation this time."

Emu stopped at that. He bit his lip and tried to respond to it.

"Hey." Hiro spoke up. "Get your resolve straight. We have no other choice."

And with that said, Hiro hung up. Emu dropped his phone into his pocket, and just grasped the current dilemma he was in.

Speaking of Poppy, where is she now? She was just silently watching a dance troupe practicing a routine. She noted that they seemed to be quite happy. She only wished that she could just jump in and join in. She just looked more troubled as she just watched on.

Unbeknownst to her, two Ride-Players had snuck up behind her. They had their weapons at the ready, and were prepared to strike her down.

"Ready man?" One of them asked.

"Let's do this!" The other replied.

Then, together, the two Ride-Players ran at Poppy. Luckily, Poppy saw them just in time to dodge the first attack. She was stunned by the two Ride-Players, with weapons at the ready, raring to get a piece of her.

"You monster!" One of them shouted.

"Prepare to die!" The other shouted.

Poppy didn't want this. She just wanted to be left alone, and just exist. However, her hesitation was overwritten by her instinct to survive, as she just pulled out her cyan BugVisor and attached it to her waist.

 **GACHANN!**

She pulled her out her Gashat, and pressed it, doing a little twirl at the end.

 **TOKI MEKI CRISIS!**

"Henshin…" She uttered, inserting the Gashat into the BugVisor and pressing the button below it.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP…**

 **DREAMING GIRL! HEY! KOI NO SIMULATION! OTOME WA ITSUMO TOKI MEKI CRISIS! HEY!**

Poppy quickly transformed into Kamen Rider Poppy, complete with the red eyes, but didn't make any sort of move. The Ride-Players made their moves first. They swung their blades this way and that, and Poppy was dodging as much as she can. Meanwhile, Pallad just walked in as the dance troupe ran away.

"That's more like it…" He smiled.

However, his smile faded into a frown when he saw Snipe, in Level 50, Nico, Asuna, Liz, Silica, and Sinon running into the fight.

"You get the Ride-Players!" Snipe ordered. "I'll beat Poppy Pipopapo-"

"First come, first serve!" Nico interrupted, running at Poppy and the Ride-Players.

"H-Hey!" Snipe spluttered.

Nico then pounced on top of Poppy, pushing the Ride-Players out of the way. She then slammed her sword down, but Poppy was able to block it.

"Nico!" Poppy begged. "Please, stop!"

"Put a sock in it, Bugster!" Nico shot back, lifting up her blade.

She then kicked Poppy back, and walked forward to attack her some more. Meanwhile, the two Ride-Players tried to get in on the fight, but Snipe just grabbed them and tossed them behind him.

"You're in the way! Get lost!" He shouted.

But the Ride-Players refused to leave.

"We'll never be cured of our game disease if we don't beat her!" one of the argued.

"Then I'll do it for you low-lives." Snipe growled.

He then fired a cannon blast, which startled the Ride-Players' boots.

"Scram!" Snipe roared.

The Ride-Players made a bunch of cowering sounds, and just bolted out of the area. Snipe then turned his attention back to Poppy, who was getting grounded into a pulp by Nico. Nico just kicked Poppy into a pillar, and Snipe took the opportunity to fire several blasts at her.

Just as Poppy rolled on the ground, Emu, Hiro, and Kazuto walked up.

"Poppy!" Emu shouted out of worry.

"Intern, brace yourself." Hiro reminded.

"M." Pallad's voice spoke up.

The three turned around and saw Pallad walk up to them, with the Gashat Gear Dual in hand.

"You better fight me for real this time." He smiled, raising the Gashat to his face.

Hiro and Emu just put on their Gamer Drivers and raised their Gashats, while Kazuto just raised his Rider Chronicle Gashat. PAllad, in response, turned the knob on his.

 **KNOCK OUT FIGHTER!**

 **THE STRONGEST FIST! ROUND 1! ROCK AND FIRE!**

"Henshin." Pallad muttered.

 **TADDLE QUEST! DOREMIFA BEAT!**

"Proceeding to Level 3." Hiro announced. "Henshin."

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!**

"Max Dai Henshin!" Emu declared.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

"Henshin." Kazuto said.

Then, the Riders inserted their Gashats into their Drivers or just pressed their Gashats again.

 **DUAL UP!**

 **EXPLOSION HIT! KNOCK OUT FIGHTER!**

 **GASHATTO! GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **DO-DO-DO-RE-MI-FA! SO-LA-SI-DO! OK!** **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!**

 **SAIDAIKYU NO POWERFUL BODY! MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

 **ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!**

Then, all of the following people present transformed into their Rider forms. Pallad became Para-DX Knock Out Fighter form, Hiro became Brave Level 3, and Emu became Ex-Aid Level 99. The only exception was Kirito, who had just got brown garments.

"Alright, let's do this!" Para-DX smiled.

He then threw a punch, making the three warriors duck out of the way. Then, Ex-Aid and Brave pinned Para-DX from both sides.

"I'm leaving Pallad to you!" Brave called, letting go.

He then ran towards the Poppy fight happening just a few feet from where they're standing. Kirito also ran in the same direction.

"Brave, wait!" Ex-Aid called back.

However, Ex-Aid couldn't go after him, as Para-DX got free and continued to fight him.

Nico just landed a kick, making Poppy lose her balance. Just then, Brave used that opening to land a clean slash right across Poppy's torso. Then, Nico would pick her back up and landed another clean slash down her torso again. Snipe shot a flurry of cannon blasts, and they all landed, since Brave and Nico all moved out of the way. Poppy was launched into another pillar.

Meanwhile, Kirito had walked over to the others. Lis, Sinon, Asuna, and Silica. However, they weren't moving.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked.

Silica tightened the grip of her knife.

"It's just…" She spoke quietly. "I can't… bring myself to fight her…"

"Yeah…" Liz agreed. "We've been through a lot…"

"And…" Asuna spoke up. "Look."

She pointed at the fight. Snipe, Brave, and Nico were just wailing on Poppy. Poppy was trying to tank all of these attacks, but even they could tell that she can't keep this up forever.

"She's not even fighting back!" Asuna argued.

Kirito realized that now. They were just bullying her at this point. Sinon simply nodded. Ex-Aid also saw this, but can't do much as Para-DX was just annoying him.

"M, c'mon!" Para-DX whined. "Are you fighting me or not?"

One punch just made Ex-Aid fall forward. However, this gave him the opportunity to take a glimpse at Poppy's situation, who was groaning on the gorund, critically hurt.

"Why's she not fighting back…?" He muttered to himself.

Nico didn't seem to care. She quickly ran over to her and picked her up.

"Taiga! You got a clear shot!" She called, lifting her up.

"Leave it to me." Snipe sneered.

He then aimed all of his cannons at Poppy. They charged up, and that prompted to Sinon to move. But just as she reached Snipe, he pulled all of the triggers. All of the cannons unloaded their load onto Poppy, launching her into the air because of the impact. It was even enough to cancel her out of her transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

Poppy rolled down the pavement, eventually stopping. But she was now cornered. She struggled to get up, but even if she did, she can't do anything right now.

Sinon grabbed Snipe, wanting an answer.

"Okay, that was too far!" She scolded. "Did you not see that she's not even fight back?!"

"All the more reason to dispose of her faster!" Snipe shouted back, shoving Sinon out of the way. "Now, beat it!"

Luckily, Kirito caught her. But nothing could stop them now. Brave, Snipe, and Nico all converged onto Poppy. Poppy, afraid of her current situation, began to cower as she tried to back away. However, she gave up midway.

"Poppy Pipopapo." Brave stated. "Nothing personal."

With that said, Poppy closed her eyes, and braced for the worst. Slowly, the three Riders raised their weapons. Ex-Aid saw this, and had to act fast. He stood up, and quickly formulated a plan. Para-DX, however, was getting tired of M's half attention to him.

"Hey!" He called out, getting in front of him. "I said: Fight me!"

"Get lost!" Ex-Aid shouted back.

He then grabbed a hold of Para-DX, pinning his arm inside the giant hands of Level 99. Ex-Aid then pressed a small button on the side of the Gashat, which ejected him into the air. Using the momentum, Ex-Aid twirled over to the three Riders. He quickly shoved Brave and Nico aside, and kicked Snipe away from him.

"All of you stop!" He ordered. "Poppy is not an enemy!"

That declaraction made everyone freeze. The SAO players walked up to what was going on, but stayed in the sidelines. Even Para-DX, who had been struggling to get out of the Level 99 suit's hands, stop struggling to see Ex-Aid.

"Ex-Aid, move it!" Snipe ordered. "We're doing this so we can clear this hell-game!"

"And to do that, we have to beat her!" Nico chimed in. "Beat it!"

"Make me!" Ex-Aid shot back

He then spread his legs and arms out. He wasn't going to let anyone harm Poppy.

"Just how many times do I have to tell you this, Intern?" Brave scolded, grabbing Ex-Aid's collar. "This is for the patient!"

"The patient…" Poppy whispered.

"Shut up!" Ex-Aid shouted, pushing Brave away from him.

Brave, disgusted by this, just raised his Sword up to Ex-Aid.

"Is there some other way? Huh?" He demanded.

"Well…" Ex-Aid stuttered.

Poppy had had enough. She began to whimper quietly, even dropping a few tears.

"Just… do it." She finally choked out. "Just get it over with."

Ex-Aid turned back to see his friend.

"After all…" She went on. "I killed someone to be here right now…"

"But you helped us save countless lives afterwards!" Ex-Aid corrected, grabbing hold of her shoulders.

"Humans hate us Bugsters!" Poppy cried, in her whimpering voice.

"You're different!" Ex-Aid protested.

"Bugsters are humanity's enemy!" Poppy finally declared, shoving Ex-Aid off of her.

Ex-Aid then looked at Poppy for a short moment, but he had an idea.

"Is that so?" He asked. "Alright then."

He then did something insane. He just cancelled out of his transformation!

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Ex-Aid reverted back into Emu. Consequently, the Level 99 armor grabbing Para-DX also disappeared. However, despite being free, Para-DX didn't make any moves.

"If what you say is true…" Emu ordered. "Then fight me."

Poppy suddenly got alert. What was Emu saying to her?

"You wish to kill all humans, right?" Emu asked in a more serious tone. "You wish to rule this world, right?!"

He then grabbed Poppy's BugVisor from her waist and placed it in her hand. Then, he jabbed the weapon into his chest, with Poppy still holding onto it.

"Then kill me!" Emu screamed.

Everyone was taken aback by this. No one would attempt something this crazy. All of the SAO players quickly walked down.

"Do it already!" Emu ordered.

Poppy didn't do anything. She was too overcome with her own dilemmas to do anything. But, after a bit of recollection, she finally reached an answer.

"No…" She whispered.

Then, throwing the BugVisor away, she shouted. "I don't want to hurt anyone anymore!"

She then stood up, and finally affirmed her decision.

"I don't want to make anyone sad!" She stated. "I don't want to hurt anyone…"

Then, with some more whimpering, she covered her mouth with her hands, eventually placing them in front of her chest.

"I just…" She spoke. "I just want to play DoReMiFa Beat with everyone happily!"

Emu, finally satisfied with that answer, stood up next to her. Then, surprisingly, he swung his arms around, embracing Poppy.

"Then let's do it…" He said soothingly. "Together."

He added a little smile at that. Poppy nodded, and cried some more onto his doctor's coat and wrapped her arms around Emu's back. With that said, everyone else cancelled out of their transformation.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

Para-DX reverted to a bitter-looking Pallad, who just walked off.

Meanwhile, Andrew finally stopped pixelating orange. He looked around himself, and Ryotarou was eager to hear what happened.

"I'm cured…" He muttered.

"Hell yeah, you are!" Ryotarou smiled, punching his friend's arm playfully.

Back with Poppy, she had finally stopped crying. Emu released her from his embrace and patted her head. Poppy responded with a smile.

"Question." Nico spoke up. "How did we get cleared again?"

"It's probably because Emu brought back Poppy's smile." Shino suggested. "Right?"

Hiro simply put his hands into his pocket, and walked up to Emu.

"You're really starting to prove yourself, Intern." He said, getting a small bow from Emu.

He then turned to Poppy, but not directly in the eye.

"I owe you an apology." He admitted.

"C'mon, do it properly." Asuna pouted, jabbing Brave's back.

"It's okay." Poppy replied. "I caused you guys just as much trouble. I should be apologizing really."

"Just don't ever turn on us again." Taiga scowled. "Cause if you do…"

"I'm going to pummel you to the next life!" Nico declared.

Poppy got scared by that, so she quickly hid behind Emu. Despite this, Nico shrugged it off by laughing. Then, the motley crew walked off down the road. Along the way, Silica asked if Poppy wanted to play DoReMiFa Beat during the weekend at her house. Poppy replied with a loud yes. However, the happy reunion was interrupted by Pallad, who blocked their way.

"So…" He said. "Looks like you've made your decision… Poppy."

Emu quickly got up front, covering Poppy with his arm.

"You're not laying a finger on her again!" He said.

Pallad pinched the bridge of his nose. He just couldn't get through to him.

"M, why?" He asked. "You said you'd play games with Poppy, but why not me?"

"Because Poppy's different from you." Emu shot back coldly. "You choose to take lives."

"C'mon, M!" Pallad argued. "Aren't we friends?"

"Since when were we your friends?" Kazuto asked.

"You don't make any sense!" Shino added in.

Pallad studied the lot of people behind Emu. He knew his next move. But he didn't notice Hiro sharpening his view.

"It's our destiny to fight, M." He said. "After all, you are…"

" _Me_." Pallad concluded, eyes glowing red.

Hiro then realized what was about to happen.

"Intern, run!" He shouted.

Emu turned back, but that gave Pallad the opening he needed. He quickly pixelated into a cloud, and then he consumed Emu. Emu lurched forward, taking the amount of Bugster virus as well as he could. But the virus looked different. Instead of the usual orange color, it was red and blue. When it was all over, Emu straightened up, but his eyes glowed red.

"Emu?" Rika asked, walking up to him. "You alright?"

Emu placed hand on Rika's shoulder, but then he just slapped her right across the cheek. Riak fell back, but Keiko caught her.

"Hey, what was that for?" Kazuto asked.

"Intern…" Hiro muttered.

"Emu" then laughed, and then said something uncharacteristic to him.

"Let's play, shall we?" He chuckled. "The most thrilling game ever!"


	37. Two Can Play at That Game

Chapter 37: Two Can Play at That Game

 **I've gotta believe!**

(Kirito and Ex-Aid are back to back, facing a horde of Bugsters. They lift their weapons and charge as the title appears)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara**

(The SAO gang are chilling out together in a nearby café)

 **I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(Suddenly, all bystanders all transform into Ride-Players)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far**

(Brave remembers the time that Yuko died, with Asuna's afterimage looking at him; Snipe remembers the time he was defeated by Graphite, with Sinon's afterimage looking at him)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The Riders and the SAO gang together walk towards the horde of Ride Players)

 **The new beginning**

(The Riders hold up their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The Riders transform into their Lv 2 forms)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The SAO gang turn on Ordinal Scale)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(Together, they all charge at the Ride Player horde)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid goes into Lv 20, and splits into XXL and XXR; Brave twirls into Lv 50, sending a bunch of Ride Players back)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Snipe jumps into Lv 50, and rains fire upon the Ride Players; Ex-Aid jumps down in Lv 99, and slams the ground)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(The Ordinal Scale players make their way through the horde one by one)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Klein, Lisbeth, Silica, Agil, and Leafa stay back, while six figures strike a battle-ready pose. Ex-Aid raises the Breaker to his face, while Kirito goes into his battle stance. Asuna also goes into her battle stance, while Brave flips his Sword around, so he could grab the blade with his free hand. Sinon and Snipe both their weapons tightly)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(A silhouette of Kamen Rider Para-DX Lv 99 glares at them, with his eyes glowing)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid and Para-DX smash their fists together)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(The SAO gang fight various Bugsters from all of the games from the Gashats)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Snipe and Sinon go back to back)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Brave and Asuna slash right next to each other)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Ex-Aid and Kirito together jump up and slash downward, cutting back to the title)

Emu had just slapped Rika right across her face. This had just stunned everyone, especially Poppy.

"Let's play, shall we?" Emu smiled. "The most thrilling game."

Everyone didn't know how to respond to that, but Hiro stepped in their stead.

"Intern! Wake up!" He shouted, grabbing Emu's shirt.

However, "Emu" didn't comply. He just placed his hand on Hiro's chest and pushed him away. After that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out… the Gashat Gear Duel? However, he seemed unfazed by this, and he just twisted the knob of the Gashat.

 **KNOCK OUT FIGHTER!**

 **THE STRONGEST FIST! ROUND 1! ROCK AND FIRE!**

"Henshin." "Emu" said with a smile, pressing the Gashat.

 **DUAL UP!**

 **EXPLOSION HIT! KNOCK OUT FIGHTER!**

Suprising everyone, "Emu" transformed into Para-DX Knock Out Fighter form. The SAO gang all gasped quietly.

"What the hell…?" Kazuto muttered.

"How the hell did he turn himself into Para-DX?" Taiga asked.

Para-DX just scoffed, and simply swung a punch, sending a fire flame strike their way. Luckily, they were all able to dodge the attacks. Para-DX chuckled, as he just turned around and faced the other direction.

"I think I've had enough of this doctor spiel." He stated in Emu's voice.

And with that, he took a couple of steps, pixelating away. Leaving everyone else stunned. They had no words for this. Poppy, however, just froze by what just happened. Her savior spent this whole time trying to turn her back, only for him to turn…

Later, back in that server room in the GENM Corp. building basement, Graphite waited impatiently, sitting on a server computer.

"Yo, Graphite!" called a voice.

Graphite turned around to see Emu just casually walking towards him. Alarmed, Graphite quickly pulled out his BugVisor and aimed it Emu.

"Ex-Aid!" He demanded. "How did you get here?!"

However, Emu chuckled and raised his arms in defense.

"Hey, hey! Calm down!" He assured. "It's me. Me!"

Then, suddenly, two streams of blue and red clouds pixelated out of his body and formed into a figure. Emu, his face groaning with pain, collapsed on his stomach on the floor. The blue and red streams formed into a smiling Pallad.

"Pallad, it was you?" Graphite sighed, sitting down on another server. "Don't scare me like that."

Pallad just patted Graphite's shoulder, but Emu was still on the floor. He wanted answers.

"Just what did you do to my body?" He asked in a demanding voice.

Pallad looked down at Emu. While he was still kind of salty from Emu not being able to play with him, he was still smiling.

"What happens when you don't play with me." He replied innocently.

He then reached over to a small case, where he pulled out a Gamer Driver. Emu was surprised by this, but soon realized that it could be the one Genmu used before his Dangerous Zombie phase.

"So… I had a thought." Pallad then said. "If I leveled up too… maybe that would convince you to play with me."

He then put on the Gamer Driver, and pulled out his Gashat Gear Duel. He inserted it, and then he opened up the Driver, but nothing happened. Pallad looked down at the belt, and just sighed.

"Figures I can't use something made for humans…" He admitted, taking off the Driver and pulling out his Gashat.

"Pallad." Graphite interjected. "We don't have to do that. We should just get rid of him right now!"

He aimed his BugVisor at him with a malicious intent, but Pallad grabbed Graphite's arm, and pulled the BugVisor away from Emu.

"I'm the only that beats M." He told him.

"Why?" Emu asked, still trying to recover from the pain. "Why do you want to fight me that badly?"

Pallad shook his head. He crouched down to Emu, and picked him by his shirt.

"I told you, man!" He said. "This… is what you wanted."

Emu stopped at that. Pallad just given him a massive information dump on him. He didn't know how to process this.

"Me…?" He muttered.

"PIPUPEPO PANIC!" Poppy roared loudly.

"How did Emu transform into Para-DX?" Nico asked.

"There's no way Emu would quit being a doctor too!" Poppy roared again. "There's…"

"Gotta be a reason!" Both Nico and Poppy declared.

The remaining heroes had returned back to Hiro's office. To recollect themselves from what they just witnessed Emu doing, they were just resting for now. Suguha had also joined, and was filled in on what was going on.

"There's only one reason." Taiga stated in that.

Everyone turned to Taiga for an explanation, but Hiro spoke up.

"Pallad always had a strange obsession with the intern." Hiro explained.

He recalled back to the previous chapter. When Emu had just reprogrammed Poppy, Pallad was going on about how there was no point in a game if he never got to play with him.

"In addition…" He went on. "Everytime we tried to operate on him, no Bugster came out."

"Yeah…" Kazuto muttered, getting an unnoticeable glare from Asuna. "Not a time I really like to look back at."

"There's only one logical deduction out of that." Hiro finally concluded.

Meanwhile, Pallad was just dragging Emu out somewhere, still holding onto him by his shirt. They went on for a little bit until they had made their way over to some swings. Once they got in front, Pallad just tossed Emu back on the ground.

"As a child, you were always alone." Pallad said. "You were always busy thinking up ideas for games."

Emu recalled back to his childhood then. He remembered drawing up pictures using crayons of two colored warriors, which eventually became the basis of Mighty Brothers XX. Pallad, taking that into consideration, got on a swing and began riding it.

"While all along, you were just longing for someone to play with." He went on. "And that someone… is me."

Emu stopped again. Pallad was just getting more and more confusing to him.

"What are you saying?" Emu asked again.

Pallad jumped off of the swing. He finally decided to drop the bomb.

"Our hearts, feelings, and even memories…" Pallad fainlly revealed. "Were linked together. We are as one."

Then, Emu and Pallad both looked together. The creation of Mighty Brothers XX, all the times Genmu was close to take Emu's Gashats, and even the death of Burgermon. They were both feeling the same emotions back then. They just expressed it differently. Now, this wasn't just a coincidence.

"Wait…" Emu suddenly realized. "You're my…!"

"Bingo!" Pallad smiled. "I'm the Bugster you're infected with!"

Emu was speechless now. Everything about Pallad now made sense to him, if he was telling the truth. Emu's personality switch whenever he transformed, his lust for gaming, all of it.

"You're… my Bugster?" Emu stuttered.

"Your longing was what created me." Pallad explained. "That's why I keep saying that it is our destiny to fight!"

Pallad's eyes glowed red, and subsequently Emu's eyes glowed red as well. Emu then started to moan in pain, as orange pixels developed all over his body. Pallad dissipated into two streams of red and blue again, and they went into Emu's body. After a bit, Emu stopped moving as the streams faded away. Eyes glowing, Emu stood back up.

"You're me." He declared. "And I'm you."

He then put on his Gamer Driver, and pulled out a Gashat. He pressed it, activating the Game Area.

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!**

"Henshin." He uttered, inserting the Gashat.

 **DOUBLE GASHATTO!**

He also opened up the Driver.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!**

Emu transformed into Ex-Aid Level 10, complete with the half-and-half colored hair. However, he was going to just stay in this form, as he just closed the Driver back up.

"Dai Henshin." He uttered again, opening up the Driver.

 **GACHANN! DOUBLE UP!**

 **ORE GA OMAE DE! OMAE GA ORE DE! WE ARE! MIGHTY MIGHTY BROTHERS! HEY! DOUBLE X!**

Ex-Aid split into XXL and XXR. However, something was off. XXL looked a bit timid to fight, but XXR just casually turned his head to XXL.

"Now… fight me… M." XXR chuckled in Pallad's voice.

"Pallad is a Bugster born from Emu?" Rika asked.

"Wait… that doesn't make any sense." Nico replied.

There was a short silence, but then, Asuna broke it.

"Wait, remember what Genmu said?" She started. "He said he planted the Bugster virus in Emu 16 years ago!"

"And that virus took 10 years to grow inside Emu into Pallad." Kazuto finished.

"Then… I lost to Pallad 6 years ago?" Nico asked.

"I guess so." Shino replied. "Using Emu's body, calling himself the Genius Gamer M."

"And once that was done with." Hiro added in. "Dan Kuroto used Zaizen Michihiko to separate Pallad from the intern."

"But…" Silica spoke up. "What about Emu's sudden aspiration to become a doctor?"

"When Pallad was separated from him…" Hiro replied. "He began using 'boku' again, returning to his original self."

"So… if we defeat Pallad…" Taiga concluded. "We'll cure Ex-Aid of his game disease."

While the others were developing ideas on how to defeat Pallad, Pallad himself was doing something he wanted to do for a while.

A cute couple were just enjoying a trek down a forest path, but they were stopped by XXL stumbling in front of them. When XXR jumped in, the couple quickly ran away. XXR stood XXL up, and began to punch him indiscriminately. One punch made him fall on his knees. As a response, XXR went to the other side and just kicked him away. XXL groaned from the pain, but XXR was just bored still.

"M, come on!" He whined. "What fun is there in fighting a punching bag?"

XXL just whined, seemingly not wanting to fight. He just panted heavily as he propped himself up. XXR just grabbed the Gashacon KeySlasher and the Maximum Mighty X Gashat and just tossed it over to XXL.

"Here." XXR said. "That should be enough of a handicap, right?"

XXR, then ran towards XXL. XXL quickly rolled out of the way, grabbing the items along the way. However, XXL did not use the items to fight back. He just cradled them in his hands while XXR just continued to wail on his fists at him. Finally, with one punch, XXR knocked XXL into a tree. XXL collapsed on his knees again.

"M, c'mon!" XXR whined again. "You can do better. I mean, I started Kamen Rider Chronicle just so I can play with you!"

XXL stopped at that. Pallad had started this mad death game just so he could play with him?

"Saving lives without continues, you say, huh?" XXR went on. "It's also your longing that brought upon humanity's doom."

"No…" XXL choked out. "That's not true!"

"But it is…" XXR said. " _You_ killed them."

XXL continued denying, but all that fueled XXR's ambition to fight M.

Meanwhile, Nico, Taiga, and Shino left the hospital to get some air.

"Looks like I have to apologize…" Nico admitted. "To Emu."

"Is that so?" Taiga chimed in. "You're surprisingly well-behaved."

"I mean…" Nico continued. "All I've been thinking of is just beating him."

"If that's the case…" Taiga finally deduced. "I'm not needed?"

"Not exactly." Nico revoked. "I want to beat Pallad now."

Taiga scoffed, while Shino just smirked and shook her head.

"That girl is quite the handful, isn't she?" She commented.

Taiga sighed exasperatedly, and just walked on, with Nico right behind him.

Meanwhile, back in the hospital room, the others were just sitting patiently. It was silent for a good while, but Poppy broke it.

"Hey, Piro!" She screamed. "If we don't get to Pallad soon, Pemu will…!"

"Calm down!" Hiro shouted, silencing Poppy.

That got everyone's attention actually, they all turned towards Hiro.

"At the very least, we now know the form of his game disease." Hiro stated. "All I have to do now is operate on him."

"But, isn't Pallad, like, really strong?" Rika asked. "If he hides inside Emu again, we might not ever be able to get him out!"

Everyone murmured in agreement, even Hiro. However, that didn't stir Poppy away from her resolve.

"Emu saved me." She said. "Now, it's my turn to the same for him!"

"I want to return his smile!" She declared.

Hiro scoffed at that, but not in the negative way.

"Looks like the intern finally rubbed off on you." He admitted.

Poppy smiled at that, but the tension was still there.

"Man…" Kazuto muttered. "Dan Kuroto left us in quite the dilemma, huh?"

Everyone murmured in agreement. However, something happened with Poppy. Suddenly, a flash of a young boy displaying some kind of blueprint to an adult woman. He said a few words, but the only things she was able to hear were the words "Bugster" and "countermeasure". She slightly jerked at what she saw.

"Wha… what was that?" She asked herself.

"Poppy?" Keiko asked. "What happened?"

"Was that…" Poppy muttered. "The memory of the person I infected…?"

"Memory?" Keiko repeated.

She wanted more questions, but one of the phones rang. Hiro quickly got up and answered it.

"This is Cyber Rescue Center." He said.

"Bugster… countermeasure?" Poppy repeated quietly.

"Thank you. Please evacuate the scene as quickly as you can." Hiro ordered, hanging up. "I have the intern's location."

He looked up, but Poppy was gone. He looked around to the others, but they looked oblivious as well.

"Where did Poppy Pipopapo go?" He asked.

"Can't say." Asuna replied. "She just grabbed Yui and disappeared."

Hiro couldn't wait for Poppy to return. So, he just left the office, with the SAO gang trickling after him.

Meanwhile, back at the fight, XXL was still refusing to fight back. He was back to back with a tree, but can't really do anything about it, as XXR has him pinned down.

"This is getting really boring now!" XXR complained. "I gave you a weapon and a Gashat, so use them!"

Just then, Hiro and the SAO gang walked up. Shortly after, Taiga, Nico, and Shino also came along. They were surprised by what they saw.

"What the hell?" Kazuto asked.

"Wait, it's just M?" Nico asked. "Where's Pallad?"

"Why is he fighting himself?" Taiga asked also.

XXR sighed, and he just simply grabbed XXL by his collar and tossed him aside.

"Man, and here I was, thinking we'd finally be left alone…" He complained. "But we still have a peanut gallery."

When XXR spoke, everyone immediately recognized that voice.

"Wait, you're Pallad?" Hiro asked.

"Everyone…" XXL sighed, panting.

XXR, ignoring the others, just walked a few steps closer to XXL.

"M." He started. "Mighty Brothers XX allows one to become two. As such, we share each other's genes and memories."

"With that said, remember!" XXR requested. "Remember how you're still alive."

XXL paused, as he looked back. He then realized it. Back in Chapter 26, when Genmu told him that he had game disease, he had burst into a cloud of the Bugster virus. However, there was more. It showed Pallad's side of that story. The memory showed that when Pallad dissipated, he had assimilated into Ex-Aid's body, saving him from the game disease.

"At that time, I…" XXL began.

"Normally, you'd have vanished right then and there." XXR confirmed, snapping his fingers. "Gonzo."

"So that's what happened?!" Shino remarked.

"So, you took over Emu's body and released his stress?" Rika asked.

XXR looked back and nodded in approval, but he quickly turned his attention back to XXL.

"You babble on about saving lives without any continues…" XXR continued. "When you got a continue yourself."

XXL couldn't believe any of this. He… actually met death and lived?

"Whether I let you live or die depends on my puzzle now." XXR went on. "You have no power over your own fate… but I do."

XXL, finally getting things sorted out in his mind, stood up as he finally gripped the KeySlasher properly in his hands.

"Stop screwing with me…" He said, irritatedly.

XXR couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"Irritated now, are we?" He chuckled. "Then show me that you can change your fate with your own hands."

"You'll never be cured of your game disease unless you beat me." XXR added in an ominous tone. "Fight me."

XXL, now knowing he can fight, raised his KeySlasher.

"Let's do it then!" He declared.

XXR now lightened up, as he raised his fists in delight. XXL, swinging the KeySlasher around, then charged. The two now engaged in a battle, and the others couldn't do anything about it.

The fight eventually moved over to an open quarry. XXL was now going forth with his attacks, while XXR was just doing most of the dodging. XXl swung the KeySlasher around, and the first strike hit XXR's arm. The second strike was a downward slash, getting a critical hit on XXR. For some strage reason though, XXR was chuckling. XXL, ignoring this, pressed the yellow button on the KeySlasher.

 **ZU-KYU-KYU-KYUNN!**

After that, he inserted the Maximum Mighty X Gashat into the KeySlasher.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

XXR stood up hastily as XXL carefully aimed the KeySlasher at XXR.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!**

XXL fired, the beam landed right onto Pallad's chest. The program within that attack coursed its way through XXR's body, turning his orange DNA streams into clear blue. When the beam's effects subsided, XXR reverted into Pallad, clenching his chest and falling on his knees. XXL sighed a relief, but immediately afterwards, he was forced out of his transformation. However, he was still pixelating orange on his face.

"Intern!" Hiro called, running over to him.

The others quickly followed suit. They reached Emu, and they made haste. Rika and Keiko propped him up. While the others just crowded around him.

"Ex-Aid won this battle." Taiga declared.

"Get… out…" Emu spluttered. "Of my body!"

Strangley still, Pallad was laughing away. He was smiling, and that's not something you would see from a loser.

"Fate… is a like a puzzle, right?" He commented.

"What are you saying?" Rika chimed in. "You lost!"

Pallad chortled as he just stood back up.

"Lose? Me?" He retorted. "I never lose."

Everyone stopped at that. Just what was Pallad going on about?

"Now that I've been reprogrammed, I have M's human genes." He went on. "This means I can now level up!"

He then reached behind him and pulled out the Gamer Driver that he had back at the beginning.

"Using this little guy here." He smirked.

"Wait, how does he have one?" Suguha asked.

"Probably the one Genmu used…" Taiga seethed.

Pallad, nonchalantly, just put on the Driver. He pulled out his Gashat, and smiled happily.

"My soul's stirring." He whispered as he inserted the Gashat.

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **THE STRONGEST FIST! WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?**

When he inserted, the Game Area activated. However, it wasn't just one color. The Game Area was blue and red, as if two Gashats were activated.

 **THE STRONGEST FIST! WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?**

Pallad did a little pose as the transformation sequence went on. After swinging arms around, he was ready.

"Max Dai Henshin!" Pallad called as he opened up the Driver.

 **GACHANN! MAZARU UP!**

 **AKAI KOBUSHI TSUYOSA! AOI PUZZLE RENSA! AKA TO AO NO KOUSA! PERFECT KNOCK OUT!**

Pallad then changed into Para-DX, but it was different. His body pixelated into both forms of Para-DX Level 50, but it was different. The forms somehow merged together diagonally, and they just passed through Pallad. He was now in an armor, completely clad with red and blue. Even his eyes were different. One of his eyes was red, while the other was blue. This pattern repeated through out his suit, complete with the gold accents.

"Perfect Puzzle… Knock Out Fighter…" He said slowly. "Two Level 50 games, now one. And its name… Perfect Knock Out!"

 **PERFECT KNOCK OUT!**

Everyone froze at that. Para-DX was already powerful when he was at Level 50, but now, at whatever level he is on now, how could they keep up with him?

"Kamen Rider Para-DX…" He concluded. "Level… 99!"

( _Cue Real Game-Rayflower here_ )

"Wait, Level 99?" Nico spluttered. "Seriously?"

Everyone froze at that. Emu was the only one who could access that high of a level for the longest time. Now, they lost their only favor in the balance of power. Para-DX, chuckling, slowly began to move forward. Taiga and Hiro quickly moved up front.

"Get Ex-Aid out of here!" Taiga ordered.

The SAO gang complied, as they helped Emu get out of harm's way. Meanwhile, Taiga and Brave put on their Gamer Drivers and pulled out their Gashats.

 **BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!**

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

"Phase 50!" Taiga shouted. "Henshin!"

"Proceeding to Level 2." Hiro said. "Henshin!"

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **SCRAMBLE DA! SHUTSUGEKI! HASSHIN! BANG BANG SIMULATION! HASSHIN!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

Taiga and Hiro quickly transformed into Snipe Level 50 and Brave Level 2 respectively. Then, the two just charged at Para-DX.

Snipe went high, while Brave went low. However, Para-DX dodged the attacks by simply sidestepping out of the way. Snipe stumbled a bit, while Brave quickly recovered by drawing out his Sword. With the fire blade, he struck at Para-DX. Para-DX didn't even seem to bother, as he just tossed the Sword aside and landed a fiery punch of Knock Out Fighter right onto Brave's face. This provided Snipe with the opportunity to fire at Para-DX. Again, Para-DX protected himself from that attack by summoning an energy shield, shaped like puzzle pieces from Perfect Puzzle. This frustrated Snipe, as he just kept on firing at Para-DX. However, Para-DX just summoned his own weapon into his hands.

 **GASHACON PARABLAGUN!**

"Ranged combat, huh?" He smiled, pressing the A button on the Parablagun. He then swung the axe blade around, revealing a gun barrel.

 **ZU-GANN!**

He then pulled the trigger once, dissipating one of Snipe's shots. He then pressed the B button three times.

 **ICHI-NII-SAN!**

He then pulled the trigger once, and three bullets shot out. However, they seemingly just warped around the shots that Snipe fired, and landed directly onto him, causing critical damage. Snipe, got on one knee, but was still up.

 **SAN-RENSA!**

"Aw man, is that seriously all you got?" Para-DX asked condescendingly.

He pulled out his Gashat and inserted it into the Parablagun.

 **GASHUNN!**

 **DUAL GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

After that, he raised one of his hands, and two Energy Items came to him. One landed on him, and the other landed on the Parablagun itself.

 **METALIZE! BUNSHIN!**

 **PERFECT CRITICAL FINISH!**

"You little punk…!" Snipe growled as he closed his Driver and opened it back up.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

 **GACHANN!**

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FIRE!**

Snipe closed his gauntlets, and fired a barrage of bullets at Para-DX. However, Para-DX split into several clones, so all of the bullets had to fly around to hit their target. One Para-DX clone, the realone, pulled the trigger of the Parablagun, fired a powerful, metal blast. That was enough to launch Snipe back into a rock.

 **ALL CLEAR!**

Snipe grunted on the ground, as the Gashat ejected automatically out of his Driver, cancelling out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

"Taiga!" Nico called as she quickly made her way over to him.

Shino also came along too, as she had to make sure that Taiga was okay too. Emu, who had been watching this while leaning on a rock, couldn't do anything about this.

"Stop…" He moaned.

However, that one comment sent a shock to his system, as he balled up in pain and slightly jerked in pain. Para-DX laughed delightfully at his first win in his new form. However, he didn't stop Brave from getting the Gashat Gear Dual β that had ejected from Taiga. He quickly activated it.

 **TADDLE FANTASY!**

"Proceeding to Level 50!" He shouted. "Henshin!"

Para-DX fired at Brave, however, a magical glyph appeared in front by the monster summoned forh by the Gashat. Brave inserted the Gashat and opened the Driver quickly.

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **TADORU, MEGURU! RPG! TADDLE FANTASY!**

Brave quickly turned into his Level 50 form, and charged at Para-DX. He swung his sword around, but Para-DX dodged them effortlessly. When brave landed a slash on his shoulder, it didn't faze Para-DX at all. That was his cue to make his move.

"Close range this time?" He smiled, pressing the A button again.

He then swung the barrel around, revealing its prior axe blade.

 **ZU-GONN!**

He then lodged the axe into Brave's torso, getting some distance between them. Brave went for another slash, but Para-DX deflected it by blocking it, and then throwing it aside. Brave then threw a punch, but Para-DX caught it. He then flipped Brave around, and struck a downward slash right down his back. He then kicked him, causing him to fall over a rock. He then used that rock to jump up, and land a more powerful downward slash, knocking Brave back again. He then pressed the B button again. Seven times this time.

 **ICHI-NII-SAN-YON-GOU-ROKU-NANA!**

Para-DX went at Brave, as the latter raised his Sword to block. However, the force of the axe was too powerful, and Brave lost the grip of it. Para-DX then used it to land another axe swing on Brave's shoulder, making him roll on the ground.

 **NANA-RENDA!**

"Huh." Para-DX remarked. "Guess a game on Easy difficulty is quite boring."

Brave stood up, panting, and readied for his next attack. Para-DX just pulled out his Gashat again and inserted it into the Parablagun.

 **GASHUNN!**

 **DUAL GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Again, he grabbed two Energy Items to assist. Again, one landed on the Parablagun, while the other landed Para-DX himself.

 **MUSCLE UP! SPEED UP!**

 **KNOCK OUT CRITICAL FINISH!**

Brave closed his Driver, and then opened it again, preparing for another attack.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

 **GACHANN!**

 **TADDLE CRITICAL SLASH!**

Brave, swinging his sword around, made an X-shaped slash, and sent it towards Para-DX. However, the attack was negated as Para-DX destroyed the attack with simple tap, and then he faded past Brave, landing a powerful axe slash right across his torso. Brave gasped, and just fell to the ground.

 **K.O.!**

Brave was also forced out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

Emu wasn't going to put up with this anymore. He stood up to go up against Pallad, but his game disease prevented him from going any further.

"Emu, don't push yourself!" Rika said. "You'll only worsen your condition!"

"I… can't just sit here!" Emu spluttered, still hurting from his game disease.

"Don't worry." Asuna spoke up, standing up. "I'll handle it from here."

"Asuna…?" Kazuto asked. "What are you doing?"

However, Kazuto couldn't get an answer, as Asuna just darted forward.

"Ordinal Scale, on!" She called out.

After pixelating into her Ordinal Scale outfit, she quickly darted past Para-DX, grabbing something off Brave as well. Para-DX turned to see the strawberry blonde blur, now in the form of Asuna.

"Well, well, well!" Para-DX smiled. "Look at what the cat dragged in!"

"Shinonon!" Asuna called. "Help me out!"

Shino looked up, and saw Asuna. She looked back at Taiga, and grabbed something off of him as well. She then stood up and ran over to Asuna as well.

"Ordinal Scale, on!" She shouted.

With her Ordinal Scale on, she joined Asuna beside her.

"Shall we?" She asked.

Asuna nodded, and the two revealed what they got from their Riders. Asuna got the Taddle Quest Gashat, while Sinon, unsurprisingly, had the Bang Bang Shooting Gashat. Para-DX silently cooed in interest. The two girls pressed their Gashats.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

With their Game Areas spreading, they then pressed their Gashats again.

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **BANGBABANG! BABANGBANG! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

The two girls then changed. Sinon got the garments and colors of Bang Bang Shooting, complete with neon yellow changes on her outfit, and the sash over her neck. Meanwhile, Asuna got a small shield that covered her lower left arm, and she also got blue gloves. Her outfit also slightly changed as well, the color changed to the blue of Taddle Quest.

"Let's go!" Asuna called.

When she said that, the Gashacon Sword appeared into her hand. She flipped it around, while Sinon aimed the Gashacon Magnum at Para-DX. She fired, while Asuna dived towards Para-DX.

Asuna fenced the sword like her rapier from Sword Art Online, but Para-DX was easily dodging all of them.

"Y'know, this is getting a bit repetitive." He chuckled.

He paid close attention to all of Asuna's strikes. He opened his hand quickly grabbed her hand when one of her strikes was right by the left side of his head. He then twisted the arm around, flipping Asuna around. He raised the Parablagun, and just slashed down her back. Asuna roared in shock, as she stumbled a bit. Para-DX used that opening to twist the knob on his Gashat to the Knock Out Fighter side. He then closed and opened the Driver.

 **GACHANN! GACHANN!**

 **KNOCK OUT CRITICAL SMASH!**

Para-DX quickly ran around Asuna and eventually got in front of her. As he ran around, he pressed the B button five times.

 **ICHI-NII-SAN-YON-GOU!**

He then swung the Parablagun as powerful as he could, landing a critical hit. Asuna was launched back, and tumbled on the ground. She groaned in pain.

 **K.O.! GOU-RENDA!**

"Asuna!" Kazuto cried, hastily making over to girlfriend.

Para-DX would've also gone to him, if Sinon had caught his attention. She was still firing at him, albeit missing some shots. Para-DX sighed, as he just pressed the A Button and turned the axe blade around, revealing the gun barrel again.

 **ZU-GANN!**

He fired several shots again. Unlike Snipe, the shots swerved around Sinon's shots, and landed all over her body. Sinon got on her knees from the damage.

"Man... and here I thought you were a sharpshooter." He remarked, reaching for his Gashat again.

Sinon, in response pulled out the Bang Bang Shooting Gashat and inserted it into the Magnum.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

She stood up, legs shaking, and aimed at Para-DX.

 **BANG BANG CRITICAL FINISH!**

"Quick to the trigger, are we?" Para-DX smiled.

He just twisted the knob of the Gashat to the Perfect Puzzle side. He then closed the Driver and opened it up again.

 **GACHANN! GACHANN!**

 **PERFECT CRITICAL COMBO!**

Para-DX then carefully took aim at Sinon, but he pressed the B button nine times, just to be safe.

 **ICHI-NII-SAN-YON-GOU-ROKU-NANA-HACHI-KYU!**

Both pulled their triggers. However, Sinon was quick to the draw, as she fired hers much faster. But because of this, Para-DX just simply sidestepped out of the way. Para-DX's shot was a lot more effective. With one shot, nine bullets fired out and they landed all over Sinon's body. Sinon screamed as the attack damaged her thoroughly.

 **ALL CLEAR! KYU-RENSA!**

Para-DX laughed as Sinon fell to the ground. Luckily, Suguha quickly came to her aid. Emu, had seen enough, despite protests from Rika and Keiko, he ran up and confronted Pallad.

"STOP IT!" He bellowed, putting on his Gamer Driver.

Emu also pulled out his Maximum Mighty X Gashat. He was still pixelating orange, but he didn't care. He pressed it, activating the Game Area.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!**

Emu, breathing heavily, still pressed on.

"Max Dai Henshin!" He shouted, inserting the Gashat into the Driver.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO!**

He then quickly opened up the Driver.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!**

 **SAIDAIKYU NO POWERFUL BODY!**

Transforming into Ex-Aid, he quickly slammed down the smaller Ex-Aid on the Gashat.

 **MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

Ex-Aid quickly got into the massive Level 99 armor and stared down Para-DX. He wasted no time, as he quickly closed his Gamer Driver and jumped into the air.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

In the air, he quickly opened up his Driver. Then, he extended one leg out for a kick.

 **GACHANN!**

 **MAXIMUM CRITICAL BREAK!**

Para-DX looked up, and smiled intensely. He threw the Parablagun aside, and after switching the Gashat Gear Dual's knob into its default position, also closed the Driver up.

 **GACHANN! URAWAZA!**

He waited, and then he opened up the Driver. Using that, he jumped into the air and did the same kick as Ex-Aid.

 **PERFECT KNOCK OUT CRITICAL BOMBER!**

The two kicks met with sizzling energy sparking between them. However, nothing really lasted, as Para-DX quickly overpowered Ex-Aid, tearing through him. Ex-Aid was forced out of his transformation, as he fell to the ground.

 **GASHUNN!**

 **K.O. PERFECT!**

In contrast, Para-DX landed gracefully in front of him. He was really happy right now. With that satisfaction on his mind, he cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Pallad smiled as he walked up to Emu.

"We're on the same level now." He declared. "The only one that decides your fate… is me."

Emu, still pixelating orange, was now out of breath. Quickly, Rika and Keiko walked over and picked him up.

"You can't beat him right now!" Rika stated.

"We have to go for now!" Keiko added.

Then, the two girls quickly helped Emu escape. However, Pallad wasn't having any of this.

"M is mine." He declared.

He then dissimilated away into a cloud of red and blue. Emu's eyes suddenly glowed, making Rika and Keiko stop. Emu stood up on his own, and then did something incredible. He punched Keiko away from him, while he kicked Rika into a dead bush nearby. He smiled back, raring to get going.

"Pallad!" called a voice.

"Emu" looked up and saw Nico walking up to him. She had a look of determination on her face.

"I'm going to beat you next time!" She declared.

"Emu" smiled at that.

"Alrighty then!" He laughed. "It's been six years after all."

And with that said, "Emu" just walked away. Nico clenched a fist, as she just watched on. Hiro and Taiga somehow gathered themselves up, and made their way over. Kazuto walked in, carrying Asuna in his arms, while Suguha had Sinon slouched over her shoulder. They didn't know what to do now.

Now, while all that was happening, what's Poppy and Yui been up to?

They had been searching. The two had just entered a small room, complete with servers and a small desk with a computer screen, and even a pool table. If one was to recall, this is where Dan Kuroto hid out during the last arc.

"Is this the place?" Yui asked, flying beside Poppy.

"I think…" Poppy said.

Suddenly, a memory flashed inside Poppy's mind again. It was the same young boy, delivering something to the same adult woman. Poppy held her head, and slightly twitched, but Yui quickly grew to her human size and supported her.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah…" Poppy replied.

However, she was still lingering on about the two words that was in her first memory callback. "Bugster" and "countermeasure".

"Just what is a Bugster countermeasure…?" She asked herself.

Then she saw an image of that young boy walking over to a door. Popyp quickly followed after that boy, and found herself in front of said door. Carefully, she opened it to reveal an empty room with a poster inside. She walked in, followed by Yui.

"There's nothing in here." Yui commented.

Poppy ignored as she carefully looked at the poster. She then pulled it off, and moved it aside. She looked at the black wall that was behind it, but what got her attention was the small silver notch. She pulled on it, and the wall opened ajar. There, in front of both her and Yui, was now a bunch of computers and hard drives. In addition, there was also a table. And on that table, was a small chest box and a booklet.

"It doesn't look that old…" Yui commented. "Do you think it was here recently?"

"I guess so." Poppy replied.

Yui then reached over to the booklet. She read the title on the front.

"'Level 0'?" She muttered.

Yui then looked through the booklet while Poppy carefully opened the chestbox. To their surprise and dismay, the chestbox contained… a Gamer Driver and… Proto Mighty Action X? Poppy picked up the Gashat, and looked it over.

"Proto Mighty Action X?" She asked. "But… the color's different."


	38. Throwdowns & Callbacks

Chapter 38: Throwdowns & Callbacks

 **I've gotta believe!**

(Kirito and Ex-Aid are back to back, facing a horde of Bugsters. They lift their weapons and charge as the title appears)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara**

(The SAO gang are chilling out together in a nearby café)

 **I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(Suddenly, all bystanders all transform into Ride-Players)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far**

(Brave remembers the time that Yuko died, with Asuna's afterimage looking at him; Snipe remembers the time he was defeated by Graphite, with Sinon's afterimage looking at him)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The Riders and the SAO gang together walk towards the horde of Ride Players)

 **The new beginning**

(The Riders hold up their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The Riders transform into their Lv 2 forms)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The SAO gang turn on Ordinal Scale)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(Together, they all charge at the Ride Player horde)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid goes into Lv 20, and splits into XXL and XXR; Brave twirls into Lv 50, sending a bunch of Ride Players back)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Snipe jumps into Lv 50, and rains fire upon the Ride Players; Ex-Aid jumps down in Lv 99, and slams the ground)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(The Ordinal Scale players make their way through the horde one by one)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Klein, Lisbeth, Silica, Agil, and Leafa stay back, while six figures strike a battle-ready pose. Ex-Aid raises the Breaker to his face, while Kirito goes into his battle stance. Asuna also goes into her battle stance, while Brave flips his Sword around, so he could grab the blade with his free hand. Sinon and Snipe both their weapons tightly)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Kamen Rider Para-DX Lv 99 glares at them, with his eyes glowing)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid and Para-DX smash their fists together)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(The SAO gang fight various Bugsters from all of the games from the Gashats)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Snipe and Sinon go back to back)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Brave and Asuna slash right next to each other)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Ex-Aid and Kirito together jump up and slash downward, cutting back to the title)

"PALLAD IS LEVEL 99?" Poppy exclaimed to the doctors.

The ones that were present at Para-DX's debut of Level 99 had returned to Hiro's office. Hiro had a bandage wrapped around his head, while Taiga just had a simple band-aid over his cheek. The SAO gang were present as well. Asuna was currently getting treated by Kazuto, and Yui was right by her side. Suguha had just put a bandage on Shino's face, while Rika and Keiko just had a pack of ice on their hands and head. Nico was just standing by, pouting that she lost her go at Pallad.

"It's just one problem after another…" Taiga complained.

"Where's Emu now?" Poppy asked.

"Pallad took him away." Hiro replied.

Just then, Nico had a thought. She confronted Poppy about it.

"Hey." She started. "You know where the Bugster hideout is right?"

"Well, yeah." Poppy replied, realizing what she was saying. "I'll get him back right now!"

Nico and Poppy then proceeded out of the room, but Snipe stopped them.

"Don't even think about it!" He sneered. "As long as Pallad infects Ex-Aid… we can't do anything about it."

"But…" Poppy muttered.

Just then, Ryotarou walked in. He had just finished taking Andrew back to his café, and even got him clearance to play Kamen Rider Chronicle. He was about to say his greetings, but then he noticed the atmosphere.

"Did I miss something?" He asked.

Speaking of Pallad, he was back in that basement room of the GENM Corp. building. He was smiling, with Emu just straining from the Bugster virus on the floor beside him. Pixleating orange, but still determined, Emu struggled up and confronted Pallad. However, Pallad spoke first.

"That fight with you, honestly, was kinda boring." He said.

He stood up from the server he was sitting on, and he crouched down to Emu's level.

"You can do so much better!" He whined, grabbing Emu's collar. "So… I'll awaken you to get it."

Pallad's eyes glowed red, which also made Emu's glow red. Then, Pallad fazed into Emu, becoming one with him again.

Back to Hiro's office, they were still wondering on how to rescue Emu. Ryotarou was just told everything.

"So… what you're saying is that Pallad guy is Emu's Bugster?" He saked again. "That's how he could transform into Ex-Aid?"

"Yeah." Rika replied. "It was quite a surprise, tell you what."

"But just how do we save him now?" Keiko asked. "We can't just fight Emu, even if it is Pallad."

Just then, Yui spoke up. She had grown to her human size, and was holding a chestbox. On top of the box was the small booklet she went through with the title of "Level 0".

"Poppy and I found this." She stated. "I think it might help us."

She placed the chestbox on the table. Setting the booklet down from the top of the chestbox, she opened it to reveal a Gamer Driver and a Gashat. A black Proto Mighty Action X Gashat. Everyone was surprised by this.

"Whoa!" Nico exclaimed. "What's this?"

Everyone else quickly crowded around the table. Shino grabbed the booklet, and she began to read through it. Taiga, on the other hand, grabbed the black Gashat and observed it cautiously.

"Proto Mighty Action X should be purple…" He muttered. "Why is this one black?"

"Is this the sixth Gamer Driver?" Hiro asked, picking up the Driver. "Where did you find these?"

Yui opened her mouth to speak, but Poppy patted her shoulder, replying the answer herself.

"I followed the memories inside me." She replied.

"Wait, the memory of the person you infected?" Hiro asked.

"Yeah." Poppy said. "I saw Kuroto as a young boy…"

"Genmu?" Taiga spluttered.

Shino, who had been reading the small booklet page by page, then found a passage that seemed to be imporatnat.

"Hey, have a look at this!" She called, showing everyone else the page.

The page showed the following passage:

 _Use the original version of the game as the prototype._

 _Convert Mighty Action Prototype Version Alpha to Level 0._

 _Origin Gashat = Level 0 Gashat._

 _It means "no power", and suppresses the Bugster virus._

 _This Gashat was specially programmed to perform such a function._

The doctors took a special note at the "suppresses the Bugster virus" bit.

"Suppress the virus?" Hiro repeated.

"So, we thought this." Yui said. "If we use that Gashat, we can cure Emu and stop Pallad from controlling him!"

"Don't even try." Taiga shot down.

Everybody looked at Taiga cautiously. Taiga breathed in, and looked at the Gashat dangerously.

"This was probably created even before the Proto-Gashats." He explained. "That's a big red herring if anything."

Poppy just looked down at her feet. Taiga wasn't wrong. Plus, unbeknownst to them, Taiga had actually used a Proto-Gashat himself, so he knew from experience how dangerous the Proto-Gashats are. Despite this, the alarms inside Hiro's office went off, signaling another game disease patient.

The gang wasted no time arriving to the scene. There, they found a Ride-Player fighting a Bugster. The Bugster in question was Motors, who was just punching and shoving the Ride-Player.

"So… it's not Para-DX?" Taiga scoffed.

However, that wasn't the issue at the moment. Despite being a lower-tier Bugster, Motors was still a hand-full.

"C'mon, c'mon!" He roared. "Even without my bike… the race of hell will never end!"

"That game is dangerous!" Hiro shouted. "Please, stop playing immediately!"

Taiga nad Hiro put on their Gamer Drivers. They pulled out their Gashats, but Poppy stopped them.

"Wait!" She said. "You're too injured to fight. Don't push yourselves!"

She then turned around. Grabbing the cyan BugVisor from her pocket, she stood her ground.

"I'll do it." She declared, putting on the BugVisor.

 **GACHANN…**

"You mean 'We'll' do it, right?" Nico chimed in, pulling out her Rider Chronicle Gashat.

Poppy looked beside her saw that Nico was willing to help her. On the other side, the SAO were in their Ordinal Scale armor. Poppy smiled, and just pulled out her Gashat, while Nico pressed hers.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

 **TOKI MEKI CRISIS!**

"Henshin!" the two girls called out.

Nico did a little dance before transforming, while Poppy inserted the Gashat and pressed the button underneath.

 **ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!**

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP…**

 **DREAMING GIRL! HEY! KOI NO SIMULATION! OTOME WA ITSUMO TOKI MEKI CRISIS! HEY!**

Nico now wore brown armor with her little decals in, and Poppy transformed into Kamen Rider Poppy. However, the only difference being is that her eyes are now blue instead of red.

"Huh?" Lis muttered. "Poppy, your eyes are blue!"

"Oh?" Poppy replied. "Oh, that's because I'm a good Bugster now!"

With that said, the Ordinal Scale players raised their weapons, while Poppy and Nico raised theirs. Together, they all charged at Motors.

First, Leafa and Silica grabbed the Ride-Player and pulled him clear. Then, the others moved in to attack. First, Kirito slashed right down Motors' body, then Poppy rolled in with a kick. Motors, engines revving, went for a kick, however, he couldn't land it, as Nico and Lis quickly dived in for a flying stab attack. Then, to finish it off, Sinon fired her rifle, while Klein landed a kick himself. Motors tumbled back, but he quickly recovered.

"Don't underestimate a street racer's soul, buck-os!" He shouted, pulling out the steering rods of a motorcycle. "Race me!"

He then turned back, and pulled the rods to his body. He revved one of them, and black smoke bellowed out of the exhaust pipes on his back.

"Become the wind~~~~~~!" He yelled as he ran down the road away from them very comically.

The heroes tried to grab onto him, but they weren't able to catch him.

"What the hell!" Nico complained. "Even without his bike, he's still fast!"

"Where's Bakusou Bike when you need it!" Klein added.

A bit away from them, the Ride-Player just cancelled out of his transformation. A few seconds after he did, he held his chest as he began to pixelate orange. Hiro quickly rushed over with Taiga just watching.

"Are you okay, sir?" He asked.

"It hurts…" The Ride-Player groaned.

"What's up, everyone?" called a voice.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Emu walked up to them, looking fresh as a daisy.

"Emu!" Poppy cried, walking up to him. "You escaped?"

"Yeah, somehow." Emu replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm surprised I even got out without a scratch on me."

Everyone sighed a sigh of relief. At least one of their problems have been solved.

"That's one problem solved." Hiro admitted.

"Hey, glad to have you back." Kirito said.

"Thanks." Emu smiled. "For looking out for me (ore)."

Everyone stopped at that one word. "Ore". Emu usually doesn't talk in that tone.

"'Ore'?" Nico repeated.

That was enough to send alarms in Taiga's head.

"That's not Ex-Aid!" He called out. "That's Pallad!"

Then, Emu bursted out laughing.

"I'm really that obvious?" He asked.

Then, blue and red streams of the Bugster Virus spewed out of Emu's body, and they assimilated into the figure of Pallad. Emu, himself, collapsed on his knees and hands, pixelating orange.

"You controlled me again?" He spluttered, still wincing from the pain.

"Just to show you something." Pallad replied nonchalantly.

He then put on his Gamer Driver and pulled out his Gashat. He smiled as he inserted it.

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **THE STRONGEST FIST! WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?**

"Max Dai Henshin." He called after he did a little pose and opening the Driver.

 **GACHANN! MAZARU UP!**

 **AKAI KOBUSHI TSUYOSA! AOI PUZZLE RENSA! AKA TO AO NO KOUSA! PERFECT KNOCK OUT!**

Pallad transformed into Kamen Roder Para-DX, Level 99. He then glared down at Poppy. He had something he needed to take care of.

"Poppy." He declared. "You betrayed us. As such, you will be eliminated."

Poppy took a step back, gasping quietly. Emu, not able to stop Pallad, just struggled on the ground.

"Pallad!" Nico declared, raising her blade. "I'm… going to beat you! Prepare yourself!"

Then, Nico blindly just charged at Para-DX. She swung her blade, landing a critical hit on his shoulder. However, it amounted it to nothing. Para-DX just grabbed Nico's arm, and just flung her away. With that done, he slowly began to make his way over.

"Well, isn't that cute?" He chuckled.

As he went over, Nico looked at him with scornful eyes. Para-DX couldn't help it. As he continued walking over, he just chuckled.

"Y'know what, let me tell you a little rhyme…" He said, turning to a small singsong voice. "P is for priceless, the look upon your faces…"

As Para-DX got closer, Hiro and Taiga had to act fast. They quickly put on their Gamer Drivers, and pulled out their Gashats.

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

They inserted it, and quickly transformed.

"Henshin!" The two yelled.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **BANGBABANG! BABANGBANG! BANG BANG SHOOTING!**

With that done, Brave and Snipe quickly entered the scene, they quickly shoved Para-DX out of the way. Then, Brave quickly shoved Poppy clear. Snipe ordered everyone to get back. Para-DX, still in a good mood, just pulled out his weapon again.

 **GASHACON PARABLAGUN!**

The Parablagun appeared in gun form, and Para-DX pressed the B button ten times.

 **ICHI-NII-SAN-YON-GOU-ROKU-NANA-HACHI-KYU-ZYU!**

"E is for extinction…" He continued, aiming the Parablagun. "All your puny races…"

He pulled the trigger. Out of one shot, 10 bullets fired out, hitting all of the surrounding players minus Poppy in the stomach. They were all launched back, cancelling out of their transformations.

 **ZYU-RENSA!**

What followed that sound was an audience's cheers and claps. With that done, Para-DX turned his attention to Poppy. She just stood there as Para-DX approached her, switching the Parablagun to its axe form.

 **ZU-GONN!**

After switching the mode, he pressed the B button ten times again.

 **ICHI-NII-SAN-YON-GOU-ROKU-NANA-HACHI-KYU-ZYU!**

In an instant, Para-DX swung the Parablagun up and down Poppy's body, sending her into a set of construction equipment that was lying around. She fell into with a loud thud, as the damage was very critical.

 **ZYU-RENDA!**

What followed that sound was a TKO bell. Poppy was forced out of her transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

"Stop…" Emu muttered.

Para-DX, ignoring this, just approached Poppy. Poppy cowered and winced as Para-DX was right on top of her.

"R for rebels…" He said. "One of which is you, Poppy."

Emu slowly struggled up, but Para-DX didn't pay any mind to him.

"This is on you, y'know." Para-DX stated, looking down at Poppy. "For siding with the humans."

"Die." Para-DX then declared ominously.

He raised the Parablagun to strike her down, and then he did, swinging the blade down.

"Stop…" Emu whispered.

Then, raising his voice to a shout, he yelled, "STOP!"

Para-DX stopped his axe blade right on top of her head. That got his attention. He turned his head to Emu, who was now standing, but still pixelating.

"If you want to fight…" He growled. "Then fight me!"

And with that declaration, the orange pixelating on Emu's body dissipated. That surprised everyone, especially Poppy. They didn't know what to say to that. Para-DX, on the other hand, was thrilled.

"There it is!" He laughed. "That's what I've been waiting for!"

Para-DX then reverted back to Pallad. He had finally gotten the resolve he wanted out of Emu.

"Curing your game disease on your own wasn't enough of a drive for you." Pallad explained. "Protecing those who can't protect themselves or your loved ones… is when you're truly awakened."

Emu, walking up to Pallad, then made a declaration.

"Pallad." He said. "I'm… going to excise you!"

Pallad smiled at that. This is the Emu he had wanted to fight since he had gotten his Rider powers. This was finally that moment.

"Then…" Pallad suggested. "Let's have a change of scenery… for our throwdown."

Emu glared at Pallad, but that got an answer Pallad was satisfied with. He then walked away a bit, as if he wanted to give Emu a few parting words to his friends.

"Don't let him trick you!" Hiro called.

"Hiro." Emu replied. "Take care of the rest of the patients for me."

Hiro stopped, and looked over to his patient, who had now struggled over to a tree, but was still heavily panting due to the Bugster virus.

"We're going to be the ones to beat him!" Taiga declared.

"Don't you dare steal my kill!" Nico added.

"Taiga. Nico." Emu replied. "Clear Kamen Rider Chronicle as fast as you can."

The two actually stopped. They briefly looked at each other, and then just replied "Damn right!" to him.

"Y'know this is crazy!" Kazuto shouted.

"Kazuto." Emu replied again. "Take care of your friends."

Kazuto looked back, as the others had somewhat recovered.

"Emu…" Poppy called, getting up. "Let me join!"

"Poppy!" Emu called back. "Don't."

Emu then turned to the entire ensemble of his friends.

"I'm sorry, everyone." He explained. "This is something I have to do on my own. I need to focus on this operation."

"But don't worry!" He smiled. "I'll find my way home to you guys after this is over."

And with that said, Emu quickly turned around and walked up to Pallad, who was just waiting patiently by sitting on a nearby curb. Pallad stood up when Emu came up to him now.

"Lead the way." Emu ordered.

Pallad obliged, and just walked away, with Emu following closely behind. While the others tended to wounded, Poppy just stood there, ashamed of not being able to do anything.

"Emu…" She whispered quietly.

Then, she remembered everything Emu had doen for her so far. Turning her back from the grasps of the Bugsters, all the other times they had together during ALO, now a distant memory. She quickly punched her thigh. Isn't there anything she could do to help Emu?

A little while later, Poppy sat on one of the chairs silently. As for everyone else, they were getting their wounds treated.

Nico was getting her leg bandaged by Taiga, but it was quite the process as Nico wouldn't stop moving around, as she was amazed by all of the equipment the hospital had in comparison to Taiga's shoddy and not as up-to-par equipment back at his place. Hiro had just rebandaged his head, and placed another band-aid on his cheek. Then, he tended to the others.

Kazuto and Ryotarou only sustained minor injuries, but still had a band-aid here and there. Still they were trying their best. Kazuto just dabbed on one of Asuna's cut on her leg, then he had to tend to Suguha's cut on her arm. Luckily for her, Shino had her wounds handled by Taiga, so she could assist. Ryotarou, meanwhile, had to take care of Rika and Keiko. Keiko was quite easy, as she was able to handle the stinging of her injuries easily. Rika, on the other hand, would always squirm everytime he would just simply dab her bruise with a cotton ball. Hiro assisted wherever he could.

Yui, who had stayed behind due to Asuna and Kazuto's overprotectiveness, flew over to Poppy, who had stayed silent up until now.

"Poppy?" She asked. "Are you okay? You seem… sad."

"It's just…" Poppy admitted. "Emu did so much for me… and I'm just sitting here…"

"Don't worry!" Yui smiled energetically. "Emu is strong. He can handle himself!"

Poppy, while knowing that Emu is strong, still felt unsure. Pallad was now on the same level as Emu. And knowing what kind of tricks Pallad has up sleeves, especially now that she has known him personally, she got even more nervous.

"Should we really let Emu face this on his own?" She finally addressed the room.

That got everyone's attention, but they didn't know how to respond. Despite this, the doctors had an answer.

"Even if we went…" Taiga replied. "We would just get in his way."

"The intern is determined to perform the operation by himself, as a doctor." Hiro added. "So… we have to do what we can on our end."

"What… we have to do…" Poppy repeated quietly.

Her eyes then fell on the table. The table still had the small chestbox, with the Gamer Driver and the black Proto Mighty Action X Gashat just ilding around. She walked up to them, and then picked them up.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Kazuto asked.

Poppy turned around to the others, and stood her ground.

"I'm going to test if Level 0 really has the power to suppress the virus, just in case." She explained. "If we can confirm it, we might be able to use it."

"Don't!" Taiga ordered. "That Gashat is dangerous."

"I'll be fine." Poppy retorted. "I'm a Bugster."

She then looked at the Gashat carefully.

"This… is something _I_ have to do." She stated.

Meanwhile, an abandoned medical workshed creaked loudly. It appears as if no one had used it in a long time. The plastic sheets over some carts silently blew in the whistling wind. There was also a building sign. It read "Next Genome Research Center". Then, some steps could be heard as Pallad and Emu walked in.

"Ah, the memories…" Pallad sighed. "Remember, Emu?"

"Six years ago…" He revealed. "I was separated from you here."

Emu looked over to the various operating tools, rusting away on a table that had seen better days. He also had a bit of a flashback here. He remembered the time, when he was still unconscientious, Zaizen Michihiko and his team did various methods to excise Pallad out of him. However, that is where the memory ended.

"I will not let you hurt anyone elase again!" Emu declared, putting on his Gamer Driver.

He pulled out the Maximum Mighty X Gashat, as he held it steadily in his hands.

"I'll finish this operation… in one go!" He shouted.

Pallad, satisfied with Emu's current mindset, obliged him by putting on his Gamer Driver and pulling out his Gashat.

"Sounds good." He smiled.

Then, the two warriors stared each oher down for a long time, before starting their transformation sequences.

Emu went first. He pressed his Gashat, and then he quickly inserted it into his Driver.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!**

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO!**

"Max Dai Henshin!" Emu announced.

He then opened his Driver. He wasted no time with the standby, as he just slammed down the smaller Ex-Aid on the Gashat.

 **GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!**

 **SAIDAIKYU NO POWERFUL BODY! MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

Emu transformed into Ex-Aid, who was consumed by the giant Level 99 armor. He now stood tall, staring down Pallad with an intent to kill.

Pallad obliged Emu once again, as he just inserted his Gashat into his Driver.

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **THE STRONGEST FIST! WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?**

"Max Dai Henshin." Pallad smiled, opening his Driver.

 **GACHANN! MAZARU UP!**

 **AKAI KOBUSHI TSUYOSA! AOI PUZZLE RENSA! AKA TO AO NO KOUSA! PERFECT KNOCK OUT!**

Pallad transformed into Para-DX Level 99, anxious to get his fight with Ex-Aid started. Ex-Aid, while not having the exact same feeling, had the same sort of mind set. He quickly changed the changed the scenery by quickly pressing the button on the side of his belt.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

The area turned into some kind of empty quarry. With Energy Items materializing all over the area, the two Riders stared each other down, knowing that only one Rider is going to walk away from this fight.

Meanwhile, on the roof of the hospital, Poppy stood tall. She was currently wearing the same BugVisor she had on when she transforms into a Rider. She held the black Proto Mighty Action X Gashat in her hand.

"I… wil return Emu's smile!" She declared.

She pressed the Gashat, and twirled around.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

"Henshin!" She called, inserting the Gashat.

 **GASHATTO!**

She pressed the button underneath the Gashat port, but nothing happened. She got confused. She kept on pressing the button, but the Gashat just didn't activate. She looked behind her, and saw the Game Start screen behind her. Strange enough, Mighty was absent.

It should be noted that whenever a Rider activates a Gashat the Game Start Screen is displayed right behind them, which subsequently, spreads the Game Area around. And it was a simple rinse and repeat for every other Rider.

Poppy looked at the Game Start screen. Something didn't seem right if Mighty wasn't present on the screen.

"Okay then…" She whispered.

She turned her entire body over towards the Game Start screen, and then, turning into a flurry of bright pink pixels, she jumped into the screen. She traversed through it, eventually landing on a platform with some brown blocks. However, once she entered, her colors faded towards a black and white scheme.

"So… this is Proto Mighty Action X's world?" She asked.

Then, she heard some rustling around in her pocket. She picked around it, and, to her surprise, Yui popped out.

"Yui?" Poppy exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Yui twiddled her fingers, afraid to answer.

"Well…" She replied quietly. "I wanted to help you, and, um…"

"What is it?" Poppy asked.

"I wanted to look inside a Gashat!" Yui replied.

Poppy, while she would like to send Yui back, there was no other way now. The only way of getting back out is unless one could go in and out with a Bugster.

"Yui, I understand your sentiment." Poppy said gently. "But Bugsters are dangerous. Too much exposure could risk you getting corrupted."

"I know…" Yui replied. "I'm going to help you regardless."

Poppy realized there was just no talking out of this small HCU (Health Counseling Unit).

"Just stay close, okay?" Poppy asked.

Yui nodded, and the two took a couple of steps on the platform. Not long after, they all were met with three Bugster mooks that acted as Mighty Action X's equivalent to Goombas. Poppy, grabbing Yui, turned 180, and ran away from them as fast as she could.

Back inside the hospital, Hiro had just finished examining the patient. His name was Tetsu Kamuri.

"Doctor…" He said. "I was trying to cure my game disease on my own… too irrational of a thought?"

When he chuckled at that, he coughed slightly. Hiro quickly reassured his position.

"Don't worry, sir." He said. "I'll be operating on you shortly."

"Thank you." Tetsu replied.

Then, with that said, Hiro left the patient's room, and proceeded out. On his way out, he got a text from Kazuto, saying that they found Motors. With that said, he ran out of the hospital.

Eventually, he found Motors. Klein, Kirito, and Asuna were doing their best to keep Motors at bay. However, they weren't able to do much. Motors currently had Kirito pinned to his body, with the bike rod form before acting as a choker, as Kirito was trying to pry Motors off of him. Asuna went for him, but Motors just threw Kirito into her. The couple fell together to a building wall, with Kirito on top. Ignoring this Klein ran up, sword at the ready. However, Motors swung his rod right onto Klein's head, making him fall down and holding his head.

"Time to become my bike, buddy!" Motors cackled, as he made a bike engine revving sound.

Then, someone got his attention. Hiro walked up to him, as he raised his Gashat Gear Dual β.

"I'm… the world's number one… doctor!" He announced, twisting the knob on the Gashat.

 **TADDLE FANTASY!**

"Proceeding to Level 50!" Hiro said. "Henshin!"

He inserted the Gashat into his Driver, and then opened it.

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **TADORU, MEGURU! RPG! TADDLE FANTASY!**

Hiro then transformed into Brave Level 50. He raised his sword, and wasted no time in slashing Motors. He first threw the rod out of his hand, and then slashed him once, taking a huge chunk out of his health.

"Owowowow!" Motors groaned. "Hey, ease up on the throttle okay?"

Brave ignored this comment, and just pulled out the Taddle Quest Gashat. He quickly inserted it into the Sword.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Then, as the Sword began charging, he turned around and threw the Sword over to Asuna, who caught it, albeit fumbling a bit.

"Huh?" She muttered.

"You finish it." Brave ordered.

Asuna, while still kind of confused, still obliged. She stood up, and approached Motors at quite the speed. She flipped the sword to her face as Motors got closer.

 **TADDLE CRITICAL FINISH!**

And with one simple slash, Motors was sliced clean. Motors shouted a cry of a bike engine dying, and then he exploded. Asuna then made some kind of sheathing pose with the Sword, only for her to quickly realize her force of habit and threw the Sword back to Brave.

"C'mon, Asuna!" Klein groaned. "I was going to go for that one!"

"Well, she beat you to it!" Kirito teased. "Expect nothing less from the Lightning Flash."

Asuna kind of blushed at that, as she received the Gashat-Trophy of Bakusou Bike. Asuna turned to say something to Brave, but Brave was already gone.

Hiro quickly made it back to Tetsu, who was now sitting up on his bed.

"The operation was successful." Hiro said as he walked up. "How are you feeling, sir?"

"Well, a lot better." Tetsu replied. "I'm too naïve… thinking I could cure my game disease on my own… Never thought that fight would be this hard."

Hiro then had a thought. He then realized that Emu was also a patient, but instead of just lying in bed, the guy was fighting his own virus for his own well-being.

"Isn't he…" He muttered under his breath. "A patient too?"

"I was going to beat it regardless if he told me too…" Taiga muttered, leaning on a pole.

"Taiga!" Nico called. "I got info on Gutton and Vernier!"

"Alright, let's get cracking." Taiga said, with Nico happily going beside him.

However, all of their hopes were dashed when they did find Gutton and Vernier. Two people had beaten them to the punch. Agil and Sinon had already engaged the two Bugsters. Lis, Silica, and Leafa were just on the sidelines, cheering them on.

Agil was had just threw his axe around, nailing Gutton in the face. Gutton fell on the ground, but quickly got back up.

"Calculating best approach for counterattack…" Gutton muttered.

Agil ignored this, as he just kicked Gutton to the side again.

Vernier, on the other hand, was on the ground, oddly. But, he actually can't fly. Sinon had sniped his wings, so he won't be able to take the grounds advantage. Sinon was just firing at Vernier in all critical locations on his body.

"Winds damaged… attempting repairs!" Vernier groaned, as he took another bullet to his shoulder.

Sinon then proceeded to reload. That would've given Vernier an opening, but Agil threw Gutton at him, causing the two Bugsters to fall on the ground.

"Let's wrap this up, shall we?" Agil asked.

"Yeah, let's." Sinon replied.

Sinon raised her sniper, and then carefully took aim at the two Bugsters. Agil twirled his axe around. Sinon fired, and then Agil followed after the bullet. The bullet tore through the two Bugsters, and then Agil slashed right through them. The two yelled as they exploded. Sinon gave Agil a thumbs up, which Agil returned, then, two Gashat-Trophies fell to their hands. Sinon got Jet Combat, while Agil got Gekitotsu Robots.

"Wow, you guys just took down two mid-tier Bugsters!" Lis complimented.

"It was nothing." Sinon smiled. "I mean, I was the top sniper in GGO."

"Agil, you still got it!" Silica said. "You really still know how to play."

"Eh, really?" Agil replied, rubbing the back of his head.

The gang just jubilated together until Nico walked up and stomped over their parade.

"Hey, you stole my kills!" Nico complained.

"Well, it's not our fault that you were late." Leafa shot back.

Nico got all anime angry, but Agil quickly put a stop to it. Taiga just walked up, uninterested by the look of things. Calming down, Nico then just had a thought.

"Wait!" She started, thinking of something. "As a Ride-Player don't we need to defeat Pallad and get his Gashat-Trophy to reach the last boss?"

"This is my chance!" Nico went on. "Don't even change my mind. It is my 'character', right?"

Taiga didn't even try to argue. So, he just obliged by just walking off. This was a sign that he was going to lead them towards Emu and Pallad. The others just went after them, as they had nothing else to do.

Hiro also had a similar thought, as when he left to go the same place, he blew past Kazuto, Asuna, and Ryotarou. So, the trio decided to follow.

Back in the digital world of the black Proto Mighty Action X, Poppy and Yui were still running away from the three Bugster mooks. Along the way, Yui quickly pulled Poppy behind a block, and the three mooks just blew past them. Once they had walked past, Yui and Poppy quickly came out of hiding, relieved that the trouble was over. However, three more Bugster mooks came around the corner and chased after them. The two quickly ran again, only this time, Poppy getting an idea to lose them. She grabbed Yui and ran to a door. Once Yui was through, she closed it, and the two quickly pushed a brown block to block the door.

"How…" Yui panted. "How long have we been running?"

"I dunno…" Poppy admitted. "Is this really where the power to suppress the virus is?"

Then, the two looked to their side a bit, and saw a Bugster mook just sitting on another block. They quickly panicked and ducked behind the block they blocked the door with, but the Bugster mook didn't seem to move.

"Something's a bit off with this one…" Poppy whispered to Yui.

Then, the mook began to pixelate. It wans't like the Bugsters virus type of pixelating, it was more of like glitching in and out of game reality. The two took a serious look at that Bugster mook, and were surprised by what they saw.

A silent and peaceful quarry was void of any sound. The equipment was still, and everything was calm…

That is until a giant armored warrior fell through and skidded on the ground. Ex-Aid quickly rolled around and stood back up. Para-DX quickly came out as he quickly swung the Parablagun down. Ex-Aid blocked it with his KeySlasher, and he threw Para-DX off of him. Para-DX landed on the ground gracefully, but then, he laughed slightly.

"Y'know, I've always wanted to play with you, M!" He shouted, charging at Para-DX again.

Ex-Aid stood up and quickly blocked a swing from Para-DX. Throwing the weapon off of him, he then went for a punch, which Para-DX also blocked.

"I never wanted to play with you!" Ex-Aid reassured. "I'm only doing this to excise you from my body!"

Para-DX then threw the punch away, only to be met with an upward slash from Ex-Aid. He flew back, but that gave him an opportunity. He flipped around, using some of the quarry equipment as a launch pad, and flew back at Ex-Aid. He flipped around again, and double-kicked Ex-Aid in the torso. Ex-Aid stumbled back as Para-DX landed on the ground again.

"F is for how fucked you are!" He smiled in a singsong tone. "Well, more specifically, how fucked the humans are!"

That triggered Ex-Aid, as he pressed the small button the side of his Gashat. The armor ejected Ex-Aid himself at Pallad, who stepped back to let Ex-Aid land on the ground, then the began to exchange blows again. Clashing of metal and game sounds could be heard.

"A lot of lives depend on this battle, M!" Para-DX went on. "You, humanity's strongest… and me, the Bugster's strongest!"

"The winner will reign supreme!" Para-DX continued. "The other… will go extinct!"

With that declaration, he then kicked Ex-Aid off of him. Ex-Aid slid on the ground on his feet, as he stopped himself by stabbing the KeySlasher into the ground.

"I will change humanity's fate with my own hands!" Ex-Aid declared.

"I will change the Bugster's fate with my own hands!" Para-DX declared in tandem. "And now… allow me to reprise…!"

Then, the two charged at each other one more time. They went at it. Even so, they fought so fiercely, that it could give Superman and Zod a run for their money.

For example, when they jumped into the air together, while they did clash blades, Ex-Aid grabbed Para-DX by his neck and threw him to the ground. Ex-Aid then landed back on the ground as Para-DX fell with the impact of a meteor, digging into the ground. However, Para-DX quickly recovered, climbing out of the small crater he made. He then found an Energy Item that could help him. He quickly rushed over and grabbed it.

"E is for Energy Item!" Para-DX smiled. "Which I will gladly take!"

 **JUMP POWER-UP!**

Para-DX then leapt into the air. He slammed down his weapon as he dived down. Ex-Aid took the full brunt of the blow, stumbling back. However, he stumbled onto an Energy Item in his favor.

 **RECOVERY!**

Ex-Aid, rejuvenated, then quickly rolled over to another Energy Item to even up the playing field.

 **JUMP POWER-UP!**

Then, the two Riders leapt into the air again. They quickly exchanged blade clashes, but they quickly bounced off and slashed each other down the side of their torsos. The two fell on the ground with a thud, glaring at each other. Their HP bars just dropped down to the last 5%. Para-DX chuckled.

"Time we finish this, right?" He suggested. "C is for completion, which this fight was!"

"Yeah!" Ex-Aid called out. "Let's end this!"

Then, the two pulled out their Gashats and inserted them into their respective weapons.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

 **DUAL GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

The two lurched their bodies forward and their weapons behind them. Their weapons charged as they prepared their attacks. 

**MAXIMUM MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!**

 **KNOCK OUT CRITICAL FINISH!**

Then, the two charged at each other with great force. They swung their weapons, and the blades clashed loudly. Energy and sparks fizzed between the weapons, however the Parablagun just delievered a bit more punch. Not being able to hold for any longer, the two Riders exploded, onre taking more damage than the other. Ex-Aid tumbled on the ground, grunting all the way until he ran his back into a pillar. Para-DX just slid on the ground, not as hurt as Ex-Aid.

Ex-Aid, hurt too much, cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

The area reverted back to the Next Genome Research Center workshed. Emu winced and struggled on the ground, with cuts and bruises everywhere. Para-DX, on the other hand, laughed out loud. He was happy. He had finally gotten the fight he wanted with Emu.

"T is for Total satisfaction!" He cheered. "That was the best battle I've ever had, Emu!"

Emu propped himself up, but something seemed off to him.

"How…" He muttered. "We should be at the same level!"

Para-DX laughed. He then crouched down to Emu.

"Hate to break it to you." He smiled. "You're only Genius Gamer M… when I'm you."

"You should know that you can't beat the original." Para-DX smirked.

He then stood up, and raised the Parablagun to Emu's head.

"And what I spelt in my little rhyme is the word perfect." He added. "As in Perfect defeat of a loser."

He swung the Parablagun upward, but was stopped by a shout. Emu and Para-DX turned to see Hiro, Taiga, Nico, and the other SAO players run up to them.

"Your opponent is right here!" Taiga shouted as he pulled out his Gashat.

Para-DX just sighed as Hiro and Taiga ran at him. He responded by just simply punching Hiro and kicking Taiga out of the way. They crashed through several carts of equipment. Nico quickly went over to Taiga, while Asuna and Kazuto went over to Hiro. The other just stood there, not knowing what to do. Para-DX, having taken care of the nuisance, turned his attention back to Emu.

"Now… let me show you…" He said. "The ending befitting of a loser…"

He pressed the A button on the Parablagun, and turned it into its gun form.

 **ZU-GANN!**

He carefully aimed it at Emu, and took his sweet time in letting the moment sink in as Emu tried to move, but his injuries were too grave.

"It's been fun… M." Para-DX whispered.

Para-DX raised his finger to pull the trigger, but several laser blasts landed on his back, making him lurch forward. He got really annoyed. He was just in his moment.

"Okay, who did-" He started.

However, he stopped when he saw who it was. The SAO players behind him were just as shocked. Lis actually had to duck to avoid the laser blasts. She turned around to see who it was. The others followed suit, amd were shocked to see a figure standing there.

Standing there, soon walking past the SAO players, now in front of them, was Kamen Rider Genmu. Luckily, it was the Level 2 Genmu. He didn't make any sort of noise, but he did have Poppy's cyan BugVisor in his hands.

"Wait, Genmu?" Hiro asked.

"No…" Taiga corrected. "The color's different!"

He was right. The original Genmu had a purple line going through his suit. This one had gray lines instead.

"Who are you?" Para-DX asked.

Genmu didn't reply, but someone else replied for him.

"Kamen Rider Genmu…" Poppy's voice echoed.

"Level 0!" Yui's voice finished.

Then, Poppy walked up beside Genmu, with Yui, in her human size, walking up to the other side of Genmu.

"Poppy!" Emu called out.

"Yui!" Kazuto called out.

"Alright, now, as you promised." Poppy spoke to the Genmu. "Help Emu-h-hey!"

Then, Genmu just simply stepped away from them and forward. He then raised his hands.

"Well… this looks fun, Pallad…" He seethed in a familiar voice. "How _dare_ you leave the gamemaster out of this!?"

"Wait, 'Gamemaster'?" Shino repeated.

"So, are you Dan Kuroto?" Hiro asked.

"But… I… how?!" Para-DX spluttered. "I vanished you myself!"

Genmu, ignoring that comment, just twisted the cyan BugVisor around to its chainsaw form and threw himself at Para-DX. He swung the blade around, a bit floppily though. His legs appeared to be like jelly, as everytime he would miss a swing, he would just collapse. However, Para-DX wasn't paying attention, as he landed with his legs back to back with a small tool. Genmu saw a chance, as he just swung the BugVisor to his weapon, locking gazes.

"Hey!" Poppy shouted. "This isn't what we agreed on!"

"Silence!" Genmu roared. "I will never forgive this traitor!"

He activated the chainsaw, slowly grinding the Parablagun.

"You said you would help Emu!" Yui shouted too.

Para-DX, tired of this, just kicked Genmu off of him and then slashed him right away. Genmu fell and tumbled, only stopped by Silica and Suguha's legs. Genmu propped himself up, but Para-DX was bored. He sighed angrily, and just cancelled out of his transformation.

 **GACHANN! GASHUNN!**

Reverting back to Pallad, he went up to Emu.

"Emu, we're leaving." He ordered.

His eyes glowed red, beginning to take Emu over again. However, Emu's eyes didn't glow. And Pallad didn't dissipate into the red and blue Bugster streams. He looked around his body. Nothing changed.

"Wait, what the…?" He muttered.

"Don't even try and take over Hojo Emu…" Genmu growled.

Pallad looked back at Genmu, who was still happily chuckling.

"Genmu Level 0 suppresses all Bugster abilities in a Game Area." Poppy explained.

Pallad then put on a scornful look on his face.

"That's lame." He simply said, before dissipating away.

Rika and Suguha quickly rushed over to Emu, and picked him up to get treated. Meanwhile, Genmu just cackled loudly.

By the time the crew had returned to the hospital, the sun had begun to set. Emu had gotten his injuries sorted out, but something else was bothering them right now. Everyone was staring at something. Even the SAO gang. They were staring… at Dan Kuroto, sitting nonchalantly on his chair.

"What… is this…?" Hiro muttered.

Poppy and Yui walked up front, and they began to explain the situation.

"We were… just as surprised…" Poppy admitted.

 _(Flashback)_

 _Poppy and Yui stared at the pixelating Bugster mook. It was pixelating between the Bugster mook and Dan Kuroto. Poppy walked up to the mook, while Yui was told to stay back, not risking exposure. Poppy shook the mook, but that stopped the pixelating._

" _What should I do…" Poppy asked hserlf._

 _Then, she remembered something. She pulled out the Gamer Driver that she had, and just put it on the mook's waist. The mook, lurching forward, stood up and then spazzed out madly. Soon, replacing him was the figure of Dan Kuroto. He was in his normal suit, however the jacket he was wearing had stickers of computer blue screens and the word "gamemaster" pasted all over the jacket. And Dan just repeated the words "I am immortal."_

 _Poppy tried everything she could do get Kuroto's attention. She tried prodding him, poking him, shaking him, yelling at him, even yanking on him. However, nothing seemed to be working._

' _What should I do now?' She thought._

 _Then Yui saw an opening she snuck past Poppy, but got her attention nonetheless._

" _Yui! Stay back!" Poppy exclaimed._

 _Yui didn't reply. She simply went back to Poppy and grabbed the black Proto Mighty Action X Gashat. She then walked up to the figure of Kuroto, and then she inserted it into the Driver._

 _ **GASHATTO!**_

 _Then, Kuroto began to spazz out. Yui fell back in shock, but Poppy quickly caught her. Kuroto spazzed out for a good few seconds. However, when he stopped, he bent his head forward, and breathed in._

" _I am…" He began. "IMMORTAL!"_

 _After that yell, Kuroto just looked around his body. He felt several places, as if to check if it was real. Then, his eyes fell upon Poppy and Yui._

" _Kuroto?" Poppy saked._

" _Poppy…" Kuroto muttered._

 _Then, realizing something, he began to smile madly. He then began to cheer._

" _I… did it…" He said. "I did it! I DID IT!"_

" _I… truly am…" He began again. "IMMORTAL!"_

 _(Flashback end)_

"And then… here he is." Poppy replied. "As a… Bugster."

Kuroto then smiled his devilish smile that he always had. Everyone else still couldn't believe. Their greatest enemy is back… but is on their side?

"Is this some kind of weird drama…?" Rika asked.

"What is this?" Taiga shouted, walking up to Kuroto. "Answer me!"

However, Kuroto raised his hand just pushed Taiga back. Luckily, Nico and Shino caught her.

"You do not order me around!" Kuroto declared.

The heroes looked at Kuroto cautiously.

"I have transcended a Game Over." Kuroto declared. "Watashi wa kami da-!"

But when he just declared that he was god, he was suddenly absorbed into somewhere, still yelling the last word he spoke. Poppy had her BugVisor out and she seemed to have… absorbed Kuroto?

"Wait, what?" Kuroto replied from within the BugVisor. "Hey!"

"Don't get too carried away!" Poppy scolded.

Everyone had a good chuckle, while Nico just cowered behind as she got disgusted. Kuroto, just seemingly wailed on the screen of Poppy's BugVisor, ordering Poppy to let him out.


	39. An Unlikely Ally

Chapter 39: An Unlikely Ally

 **I've gotta believe!**

(Kirito and Ex-Aid are back to back, facing a horde of Bugsters. They lift their weapons and charge as the title appears)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara**

(The SAO gang are chilling out together in a nearby café)

 **I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(Suddenly, all bystanders all transform into Ride-Players)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far**

(Brave remembers the time that Yuko died, with Asuna's afterimage looking at him; Snipe remembers the time he was defeated by Graphite, with Sinon's afterimage looking at him)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The Riders and the SAO gang together walk towards the horde of Ride Players)

 **The new beginning**

(The Riders hold up their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The Riders transform into their Lv 2 forms)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The SAO gang turn on Ordinal Scale)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(Together, they all charge at the Ride Player horde)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid goes into Lv 20, and splits into XXL and XXR; Brave twirls into Lv 50, sending a bunch of Ride Players back)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Snipe jumps into Lv 50, and rains fire upon the Ride Players; Ex-Aid jumps down in Lv 99, and slams the ground)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(The Ordinal Scale players make their way through the horde one by one)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Klein, Lisbeth, Silica, Agil, and Leafa stay back, while six figures strike a battle-ready pose. Ex-Aid raises the Breaker to his face, while Kirito goes into his battle stance. Asuna also goes into her battle stance, while Brave flips his Sword around, so he could grab the blade with his free hand. Sinon and Snipe both their weapons tightly)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Kamen Rider Para-DX Lv 99 glares at them, with his eyes glowing)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid and Para-DX smash their fists together)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(The SAO gang fight various Bugsters from all of the games from the Gashats)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Snipe and Sinon go back to back)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Brave and Asuna slash right next to each other)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Ex-Aid and Kirito together jump up and slash downward, cutting back to the title)

The next morning came around faster than they thought. Now, normally, both the doctors and the SAO players would be minding their own business, but the appearance of Dan Kuroto had got them on their toes.

Speaing of which, they were currently watching a screen where Poppy and Kuroto were busily going back and forth about room décor.

"Wait! That's doesn't fit my room at all!" She complained.

However, Kuroto seemed to be just ignoring her, as he just kept on moving chairs and small coffee tables around. He even added some posters to the walls. On top of that, he had just made a giant line with his side of the room and Poppy's.

"Just… stop…" Poppy whined. "Redecorating without my permission~~~!"

The SAO players had no words to describe this situation. Even Emu, Hiro, and Nico were speechless. Taiga, on the other hand, just got angry just looking at him.

"I have a lot of questions!" He shouted at the screen. "Get your ass out here, Dan Kuroto!"

Then, suddenly, the screen cut to a close-up of Kuroto's eyes. Following that was every other screen inside Hiro's office turning on to a close-up Kuroto's eyes. Everyone quickly got out of the small screen of Poppy's and just looked around the office.

"I have abandoned the name Dan Kuroto." He stated. "Ima watashi wa…"

There was a small silence. Everyone tensed up.

 _ **SHIN DAN KUROTO DA!**_

That was… surprising, to say the least. They just had a stunned look that is a mixture between confusion and more plain confusion. Then, suddenly, Kuroto pixelated in behind them. Pushing them aside to get up front, he turned around to face them.

"From now, I'll be using CR as my office." He smiled.

"And who said you could do that?" Hiro asked, going in for a tackle.

However, Kuroto just pixleated away and somehow rematerialized behind Hiro.

"I must say…" He commented, looking at his body. "Being a Bugster is quite convenient…"

Taiga approached him, but Poppy quickly pixelated in between them, stopping Taiga. With all of this going on, however, Emu had a question.

"Are you really Kuroto?" He asked. "How are you alive?"

"Well, I'm the gamemaster, dear friend." Kuroto smiled, sitting down on a chair. "You really thought I wouldn't think of a backup plan?"

Taiga, still mad, then turned his anger onto Poppy.

"Just why the hell did you revive this bastard?!" He shouted at her.

"Hey, back off!" Shino called.

"I… just wanted… to save Emu… from Pallad." Poppy choked out, scared of Taiga.

Emu looked over to Poppy briefly. She went as far as to revive their former enemy just to save him?

"Kuroto, just repent and apologize for what you did, okay?" She pleaded, standing up Kuroto.

"But… I don't believe I've done anything…" Kuroto replied. "That requires an apology."

Everyone stopped at that. This guy doesn't remember all of the atrocities he commited when he was still… alive as a human?

"A lot of people died because of you!" Poppy scolded.

"As long their save data is okay, nothing is at risk." Kuroto replied.

Everyone got confused when Kuroto said save data, but suddenly, one of the phones began to ring. Emu quickly rushed over and picked it up.

"This is Cyber Rescue Center." He said. "Thank you. We'll be going now."

Emu hung up the phone, and then he turned to everyone.

"We found a Bugster." He reported. "let's go."

"Sorry." Hiro replied. "I have an arrangement with a patient today."

"Okay then." Emu smiled. "We'll go."

Emu then proceeded to leave, with the SAO players trickling out one by one. Taiga, before he was escorted out by Nico, watched Hiro leave. He saw something that he didn't think he'd see from Hiro, but he couldn't say anything as Nico just shoved him away.

Back out by a coastal looking area, Charlie of Shakariki Sports had stolen a bike from a Ride-Player. He just did a wheelie and tore by the Ride-Player, who fell back.

"Give me back my bike!" She shouted.

"Sorry, bud!" Charlie called out. "But _this_ is how you ride a bike!"

"Stop it!" shouted a voice.

Charlie looked up and saw Emu running towards him. He had just put on his Gamer Driver and inserted the Maximum Mighty X into the Gamer Driver. The other SAO players, in Ordinal Scale armor, were running a few feet away from him.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!**

 **MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

Emu quickly transformed into Ex-Aid Level 99, and slid on the ground as he stopped.

"Get the patient out of here!" He ordered to the others.

"Got it." Kirito replied.

Then, as Ex-Aid charged at Charlie, Asuna and Leafa quickly grabbed the Ride-Player and pulled her away to safety.

"Bikey go!" Charlie cheered as he rode the bicycle towards Ex-Aid.

Then, the two began to converge on a point. However, Charlie did a bunny hop, hitting Ex-Aid with his front wheel. Ex-Aid stumbled but quickly recovered. Then, Charlie quickly made a quick turn and rode back towards Ex-Aid. He was ready this time. Then, with one swing of his arm, he punched Charlie off of the bike. He stood there, however, someone interrupted.

"Emu!" Pallad called.

Ex-Aid turned around and saw Pallad just casually walking towards him. He just put on his Gamer Driver, and pulled out his Gashat.

"Time to finish our duel." He smiled. "Our's got interrupted, just when I was about to show you the perfect defeat of a loser…"

Ex-Aid didn't have time to waste on Pallad. He already had his fight with him the previous chapter, but Pallad just wants more?

"The patient come first!" He said, turning back to Charlie.

Just then, Poppy walked into the scene. She just saw Pallad with his Gamer Driver on, holding his Gashat. So, she had to act fast. She quickly extended out her BugVisor, and a cloud of the orange Bugster virus assimilated in the space between Ex-Aid and Pallad. The cloud then quickly took the shape of Dan Kuroto.

"Pallad…" He growled with a smile.

Pallad sighed in annoyance. He wasn't going to put up with this crap.

"You again?" He asked.

"How dare you use my Gamer Driver without my permission?!" Kuroto scowled. "You shall suffer for your crime against the gamemaster!"

"Hey, just back up Emu!" Poppy called out.

Kuroto ignored her, and just put on his Gamer Driver and pulled out his Gashat.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

A black Game Area spread around, and Kuroto just hung the Gashat by his finger.

"Grade 0." He said, inserting the Gashat. "Henshin!"

 **GASHATTO! GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N! X!**

Kuroto transformed into Kamen Rider Genmu Level 0. Pallad, realizing that he's not going to find a buy, just inserted his Gashat.

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

"Max Dai Henshin." He said.

 **GACHANN! MAZARU UP!**

 **AKAI KOBUSHI TSUYOSA! AOI PUZZLE RENSA! AKA TO AO NO KOUSA! PERFECT KNOCK OUT!**

Pallad transformed into Kamen Rider Para-DX Level 99. Then, with that done, Genmu just lunged himself at Para-DX.

"Kuroto!" Poppy insisted. "Help Emu with the patient!"

Genmu just ignored her, and just madly swung his punches and kicks at Para-DX, all of them missing. Para-DX landed two critical punches on Genmu's torso, but Genmu persisted.

Meanwhile, Ex-Aid focused back on Charlie, who had just propped the bike back up and began to ride it away. Ex-Aid went after him as fast as his large Level 99 body could.

" _Help me_!" Charlie cried as he rode on.

He pedaled faster, but he never anticipated a kick from someone. With the force, Charlie was thrown back, tumbling on the ground. Ex-Aid, not realizing this, just walked up to him.

"Let's finish this!" He smiled, pulling out the Gashacon Breaker of all things.

However, he never got the chance to use it. As when he pulled it out, Leafa stepped in and grabbed the weapon out of his hands. She also grabbed a Gashat off of Ex-Aid's belt.

"Hold it!" She smiled. "I'll finish this!"

"Wait, what-?" Ex-Aid began.

"Hey, don't you get it?" Kirito called out. "You can't clear a Bugster's stage unless a player clears it!"

Leafa, with the approval, quickly went up to Charlie, who was just getting back up. She pressed the A button of the Breaker, pulling out its blade form, and she just inserted the Gashat in.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

Leafa then carefully placed the Breaker by her side, preparing for a final strike. Just as she charged, Nico ran in, hastily trying to get her kill.

"Hey, wait!" She cried. "Don't you even try and-!"

 **SHAKARIKI CRITICAL FINISH!**

Leafa then charged, slashing straight through Charlie. Charlie yelled as he exploded. Leafa then twirled the Breaker aaround, like she had just won a kendo tournament. She then slightly bowed. She looked up and the Shakariki Sports Gashat-Trophy fell right on her hands.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

"Bingo!" She cheered.

Nico stomped her feet angrily, and she turned around and just wailed on Taiga, who just sat there, looking away at her. By the looks of it, Nico was saying a lot of bad things at Taiga as she blamed him for not being able to get a kill. Despite this, Ex-Aid, reverting back to Emu, quickly went over to the Ride-Player, who had reverted back to her civilian form. Poppy had been protecting him for a while with Silica. Emu quickly checked her over, but then something caught his attention when he was done.

Genmu rolled on the ground, taking significant damage. Para-DX then grabbed his collar and picked him up. In a bizarre way, Genmu grabbed hold of the arm that Para-DX was using to pick him up.

"Got you!" He shouted.

Para-DX got confused, so Genmu decided to enlighten him.

"Level 0 is the power of nothingness!" He cackled. "And by that, I can suppress your virus upon any form of contact!"

"Consequently, your level is trickling down!" Genmu finished.

Para-DX quickly looked at his Level meter, and saw that it was declining fast. So, he quickly threw Genmu out of his hand, making his level drop stop at Level 75.

"How are you compatible again?" He asked. "I thought M reprogrammed you."

"Well, I am reborn as a Bugster with my human genes, so that makes me compatible again…" Genmu breathed. "Giving me to chance to punish you sins!"

Para-DX sighed. Genmu had just become more of a pain in his ass then before.

"Huh… just when I thought you couldn't get more annoying…" He groaned.

Genmu then just charged in. Para-DX responded by just turning the dial on his Gashat to the Knock Out Fighter side. He then closed his Driver,

 **GACHANN! URAWAZA!**

Genmu just kept on charging in like a madman as Para-DX just opened up his Driver.

 **GACHANN!**

 **KNOCK OUT CRITICAL SMASH!**

Genmu threw a fist, but Para-DX ducked and nailed Genmu right on his chest.

"Die." He simply said.

 **K.O.!**

Genmu experienced the full brunt of the blow, with his HP going down to 0 in an instant. And with that, Genmu fell on his knees and then dissipated into nothingness.

 **GAME OVER…**

Everyone actually got wide-eyed by what they just saw. Genmu died to Para-DX in what just one go. Granted, the Level difference was massive, but still, he was done in one hit.

"Kuroto!" Poppy cried.

"He's dead?" Taiga and Nico both said.

Para-DX himself was surprised as well. However, he was more disappointed than sad.

"Well, that was anticlimactic." He admitted.

Then, he heard Kuroto's signature cackling. He looked around to see where it was coming from, and found the source. A purple pipe shaped like one from Mario, with the word "continue" on it with large letters. Then, with fanfare sound, Kuroto popped out of the pipe, smiling away as if nothing had happened.

"Wait-what?" Para-DX spluttered.

"He's back?" Taiga and Nico asked.

Kuroto smiled, and just showed off the black Mighty Action X Gashat to him.

"This Gashat is the very first one I developed." He said. "The alpha. It has a continue function built in."

"'Continue'?" Emu asked.

"Speaking of which, I have lost a life." Kuroto smiled, pointing next to him. "I now have 98 lives left!"

There, a life counter appeared. The number had decreased from 99 to 98. Para-DX sighed.

"Lame." He said, disappearing.

"Wait!" Kuroto shouted.

But it was too late, Para-DX had gone away.

"The game is not over!" He shouted into the air.

A seagull squawked overhead, as a little bit of time passed. When that time passed by, the former Ride-Player explained her reason for playing Kamen Rider Chronicle, with our heroes reverting back to their civilian states.

"I had a son in middle school." She said. "And he got a Game Over playing this game…"

"So… you were trying to save your son?" Rika asked.

"I will do anything for my son!" The former Ride-Player decalred.

And with that declaration, and a warning of avoid playing the game, the Ride-Player grabbed her bike and carried on her way. Along the way, Ryotarou decided to escort her back to her homestead.

"Playing an unfamiliar game to save her son…" Kuroto commented. "What a heroic mother."

Emu stared down Kuroto hard. He's complimenting the mother, but it seemed like he was doing it out of pity, instead of out of genuine care.

"Do you even understand her pain?" He asked. "The pain of losing a family…"

Poppy looked out to Kuroto. Then, something flashed before her eyes. It was the image of that same adult woman she had before, but this time, Kuroto, as an adult, was in it. The adult woman reached out to him, and as such, she also reached out to someone, only that someone being Emu. She stopped herself, but Emu looked worried. Poppy, shaking her head, then quickly whispered something to Emu. Then, grabbing Kuroto along their way, they returned back to the hospital.

Hiro walked into his office. He found that everyone else was present as well. Nico, Taiga, Kazuto, Asuna, Ryotarou, Yui, Rika, Suguha, and Keiko were here. Hiro sighed, as he just pulled out one his of chairs and sat down.

"This better be important." He said bluntly.

Emu and Poppy were standing at the front, as if they were about to announce something. They prepped themselves, and then they spoke.

"I finally remembered…" Poppy said. "…who I infected."

Everyone got wide-eyed when she said that. A Bugster remembered who their infected was. This could be a giant step forward for them.

"Well, who was it?" Taiga asked.

Poppy, in response, slowly moved around the table. Eventually, she now stood behind Kuroto, and Emu pulled out his tablet.

"Kuroto's…" Poppy finally spoke. "Mother."

Everyone, still wide-eyed, got even more stunned. This was quite the revelation. Emu put down his tablet and presented the records of his mother to Taiga and Hiro.

"Her name was Dan Sakurako." Emu explained. "She was a patient in this hospital some time ago. However, no records of her death were found."

"You infected her with the Bugster virus…" Poppy replied, turning to Kuroto. "And turned her into data, creating me."

"You wanted to preserve your mother's data before she died because you didn't want to lose her." She went on, crouching. "Is that why you created Kamen Rider Chronicle, to revive your mother?"

This time, Kazuto was got peaked. He knows that lost lives can't be restored, especially after the whole Sword Art Online debacle the others and he went through, but if this technology was possible, he just wanted to confirm.

"Well?" He asked.

Kuroto breathed in, and then spoke his mind.

"All I didn't want to lose…" He began. "Were my talents of a god!"

Everyone just got stunned again, albeit for a different reason.

"Ridding the world of my talents would be the biggest sin of all!" He declared, standing up. "And that's is why I preserved the data of lost lives, thus… creating the continue system."

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting…" Emu seethed, turning to Kuroto and clenching a small fist. "Treating lives like a game…?"

Despite this though, Hiro had a question too, but Kazuto also had one, but since their questions were essentially the same, Hiro spoke for both of them.

"Will clearing Kamen Rider Chronicle really bring back those who have vanished?" He asked.

"And if I said yes, what will you do?" Kuroto replied nonchalantly.

Hiro gritted his teeth, and just angrily stood up. He proceeded to leave his office, but Taiga stopped him.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

Hiro didn't reply. He just shoved Taiga out of the way, leaving. Taiga, interested, went after him. Nico followed. A few seconds later, Asuna stood up and walked out after Hiro. Kazuto quickly went after her, with Yui and Shino behind him. That left Suguha, Poppy, Rika, Kuroto, Keiko, Emu, and Ryotarou.

"This is a hospital…" Emu choked out, angrily glaring at Kuroto. "Not a place… for a person who doesn't understand the meaning… that a life can't be continued."

Those that had left the office had now gone off to the roof of the hospital. The sun was now just glistening the now assembled grey clouds.

"So, you mad at Genmu or something?" Nico asked.

Hiro didn't reply. He just stopped and just stared off into the distance.

"You believe what Genmu told you?" Taiga asked. "I mean, the side of you that is not a doctor?"

"You're no different from him, hoping to revive the loved one you lost." He went on, walking up beside him.

Hiro struggled for a bit, but he found an answer.

"No." He simply said, shaking his head. "Impossible!"

Taiga scoffed, and just reached into Hiro's pocket. Pulling his hand out, he also grabbed the Taddle Quest Gashat-Trophy.

"Then why did you swipe this from Asuna?" He asked.

Asuna, noticing the Gashat-Trophy, then quickly looked into her purse. She just noticed that the Gashat-Trophy she got Alhambra was missing.

"When did he-?" She whispered.

Hiro quickly swiped the Gashat-Trophy back from Taiga's grasp, and just sulked away.

"Laugh at me if you want." He said.

"Why would Taiga laugh?" Shino called out. "Actually, why would any of us laugh?"

Then, the crew quietly approached Hiro. They sympathsized with Hiro's dilemma, and tried to help him bare it.

"I'm only using Genmu so I extinguish the Bugsters… and then put an end to Kamen Rider Chronicle." Taiga explained.

Shino walked up, and made a display on her HUD. Conversely, everybody else got the same display, which showed every single Gashat-Trophy they had earned so far.

"We only need a few more to get to the upper-tier Bugsters." Nico explained.

"This time, I'm going to finish off Graphite." Taiga declared. "That's why you should personally witness what happens when we clear it."

Hiro bit his lip. Taiga was right. Unless they clear the entire game, there is no guarantee that the people who had lost their lives would return. It's quite the gamble to even trust the words of Dan Kuroto, who had deceived them for so long. He sighed, and silently returned the Taddle Quest Gashat-Trophy back to Asuna.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered.

"It's okay." Asuna replied. "At least we can do this together now."

Then, with that said, the crew slowly headed down back to Hiro's office.

Back in Hiro's office, Kuroto was silently drinking a cup of coffee while Emu just sat on the table. Ryotarou left because of some business, leaving Rika, Keiko, and Suguha. Suguha quickly pulled out her phone to check for any Bugster sightings, and as luck would have it, she did.

"Pallad has been sighted…" She whispered quietly.

Kuroto, with ears as sharp as a predator, slammed his cup of coffee and put the cup down. He then proceeded to leave. Poppy tried to stop him, but Dan didn't. He only stopped when Poppy threatened him with her BugVisor.

"Stop acting on your own!" She scolded.

"Just stop." Emu spoke up.

Everyone that stayed behind all turned to Emu. He had folded his hands together, and seemed really lethargic.

"He should've been by his mother's bedside when she was suffering from an illness…" Emu started. "But he doesn't even understand how obvious the importance of life should be to everyone."

"I do understand." Kuroto retorted. "That's why I will restore their save data and accomplish what you doctors cannot."

That was the final straw with Emu. He slammed his hands on the table, startling everyone. He then walked up to Kuroto and grabbed his collar. His eyes said everything. Kuroto was just making a game out of this whole situation. However, he just let go of him.

"Poppy… I'm sorry." He choked out, turning away. "I… just can't work with a man like this."

"I know…" Poppy replied, putting away her BugVisor. "Kuroto can never be forgiven for what he did…"

"But hey, stopping Kamen Rider Chronicle is our priority." She went on. "Kuroto, you should help us to minimize casualties!"

"Please… I begging you two…" She sobbed.

The two men stood there for a bit. Rika, Keiko, and even Suguha were just watching. They didn't want to interrupt, as they didn't want to be disrespectful.

"I'm going to eliminate Pallad." Kuroto said, pixelating away.

"Kuroto, wait!" Poppy shouted, pixelating away as well.

That just left the only humans in the area. Emu just propped himself on the table again, not knowing what to do exactly. Rika went up to him quietly, but stopped, as Emu just dashed out. Rika, not knowing what to do, just turned to the other girls. They didn't know what to do either.

In some kind of dam, two Ride-Players were fighting Para-DX. However, they were just too weak against him. So, they were back into a corner, right by a ledge.

"C'mon, where you going?" Para-DX smiled. "The game's not over, y'know."

"Pallad!" called a voice.

Para-DX then turned to direction of the voice and found Kuroto, Gamer Driver on, just silently walking towards him. He got annoyed, so he just let the Ride-Players go freely.

"You again?" He groaned.

"I'm here to eliminate you." Kuroto declared.

He pulled out his Gashat, and pressed it.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

"Grade 0." He said. "Henshin!"

He inserted the Gashat into the Driver, and quickly opened it to transform.

 **GASHATTO! GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N! X!**

Kuroto transformed into Genmu Level 0, as Para-DX jumped down to face him. However, it was just a one-sided beating if anything. Genmu would just flail his arms and legs around as if he was punching and kicking, but nothing. All of them amounted to nothing, as Para-DX landed punches that actually landed on his body.

"Don't you ever know when to give up?" Para-DX asked as he kept on punching.

Just then, Poppy pixelated in as well. She turned to see Para-DX just beat up Genmu. Genmu was trying to put up a fight, but the level was just too big to balance out the fight.

"Kuroto!" She called. "Stop acting on your own!"

"You do not order me around…" Genmu growled.

"We have to work together!" Poppy insisted.

"Silence…" Genmu growled again.

"We have to work together!" Poppy cried. "Please listen to me!"

"AND I ORDER YOU TO BE SILENT!" Genmu burst out finally.

He had finally had enough of Poppy ordering around. So, ignoring her, he focused all of his attention onto Para-DX. Poppy, realizing this, faced the ground.

"Okay…" She whispered. "In that case…"

She then pulled out her cyan BugVisor, and put it on her waist.

 **GACHANN…**

She also flipped out her Gashat, pressing it.

 **TOKI MEKI CRISIS!**

As the Game Area spread, she twirled around and inserted the Gashat into the BugVisor.

"Henshin!" She called, pressing the button below the Gashat port.

 **GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP…**

 **DREAMING GIRL! HEY! KOI NO SIMULATION! OTOME WA ITSUMO TOKI MEKI CRISIS! HEY!**

Poppy quickly transformed into Kamen Rider Poppy. Para-DX noticed this, and just got amused.

"Give it a rest." He chuckled. "If he can't beat me, what chance do you have?"

Poppy ignored this, and just pressed the B button on the BugVisor twice.

 **KIMEWAZA…**

 **CRITICAL CREWS-AID...**

"Pipupepo…" She muttered. "Power~!"

She stretched her arm into the air, and several music lines formulated around it. She then sent her arm outward, launching the music lines from her arm. The lines twisted this way and that, making their way to Pallad. However, the attack ignored Para-DX and they all landed on Genmu. Because of this strong attack, Genmu was forced out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

It was also at this point Emu had ran in. Following him were the girls in Ordinal Scale form. They had decided to follow Emu. They all just saw Kuroto fall on his knees. Poppy slowly went up to him, cancelling out of her transformation as well.

 **GASHUNN!**

"You dare go against the gamemaster?!" Kuroto spluttered.

Poppy then crouched down to Kuroto.

"Even so…" She said gently. "I'm grateful to you."

Kuroto stopped and looked at her. Poppy placed her hand on his shoulder. It felt like a warm water bottle gently placed on his shoulder.

"You were the one that brought me into this world…" Poppy reminded. "Gave me a name… a personality… and a purpose."

"If anything…" She smiled. "You're like a father to me."

Emu paused at that. This side of Poppy… is something he hadn't seen before, given all the time he had spent with her.

"Emu." She called out. "I'm sorry for forcing this onto you. I know you'll never forgive him… but…"

She then turned back to Kuroto. He didn't have anything to say either. Emu paused to ponder Poppy's words. However, Lis walked up and spoke for her,

"Huh." She admitted. "Who knew that adorable pixie was a pep-talker?"

Silica and Leafa chuckled quietly, but they too felt the emotion. Para-DX, however, did not share the sentiment.

"Okay, are we done with the Disney bullcrap?" He asked angrily.

He angrily turned to Poppy.

"Poppy." He said. "That right there, is why you're not fit to be a Bugster anymore."

He pulled out the Parablagun in gun form, and then inserted a familiar white Gashat into it.

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

When he did, black and purple energy coursed through him. It made him choke and suffer, but all of that energy eventually coursed into the barrel of the gun.

 **ZOMBIE-PERFECT CRITICAL FINISH!**

He pulled the trigger, and the shot soared through the air towards Poppy and Kuroto. Poppy, in haste, quickly embraced Kuroto as to protect him. Correspondingly, Emu and the other girls began to run toward him. When Poppy embraced him, Kuroto had a momentary flashback himself. His mother, lying on her hospital bed, hugging him. He then gave him a reassuring pat on his arm. As a response, he grabbed onto Poppy's back as well. However, he didn't just embrace her. He threw her behind him, as he stood up and transformed back into Genmu. He stretched his arms out to protect her as the shot nailed him right on his chest. That was enough for Genmu to fall on his knees, and then pixelate into nothingness.

 **GAME OVER…**

Everyone was surprised by that act from Genmu, even Para-DX.

"Kuroto…?" Poppy whispered.

Silica, Lis, and Leafa quickly rushed over to see if Poppy was okay, while Emu confronted Pallad.

"I will not let you eliminate Poppy…" said a voice.

The voice belonged to Kuroto, who had just come back from a continue spawn. His life meter just decreased from 98 to 97.

"She is something I created…" He declared. "A life!"

That declaration sent a clear message to everyone. Emu, now realizing what he had been putting up, finally got himself straightened out. As Kuroto stepped forward towards Para-DX, Emu stopped him.

"Your continues are not your own lives." He stated. "They are chances for you to atone for your sins!"

"You will help us beat Pallad, and end Kamen Rider Chronicle!" He called.

Then, turning back, he put on his Gamer Driver.

"You have a duty to fight with me." Emu said, grabbing a Gashat.

Kuroto couldn't help but chuckle.

"So, now my talents are needed?" He smiled.

"Don't get the wrong idea." Emu corrected. "I will never forgive you."

"And I'm not going to beg for it either." Kuroto agreed.

Then, the two finally raised their Gashats together. Emu with Maximum Mighty X, and Genmu with his black Proto Mighty Action X. They both pressed it, activating the Game Areas.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!**

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

"Max Dai…" Emu started.

"Grade 0." Kuroto said.

"Henshin!" They said together.

Then, the two both inserted their Gashats into their Drivers. They both opened them, turning to respective forms. Genmu Level 0, and Ex-Aid Level 2, albeit being Level 99.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!**

 **GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

However, Emu had to go a step further, as he slammed down the smaller Ex-Aid on the Gashat. The massive Level 99 armor ate him, and then ejected him out.

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N! X!**

 **MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

Now, Kamen Rider Ex-Aid and Kamen Rider Genmu stood side by side. They both stared down at Para-DX.

"I'll clear this game with no continues!" Ex-Aid called out.

"I'll clear this game… even with continues!" Genmu called out.

Then, the two charged at Para-DX. Poppy smiled happily at the sight of the two, almost identical Riders working together against a common enemy. She still had to get clear however, as Lis, Leafa, and Silica quickly got her to safety.

The three Riders went at it. Ex-Aid provided a knee kick, which Para-DX quickly brushed aside, and then Genmu went in for a kick. However, Para-DX easily dodged all of it.

"Okay, I'll be honest." He admitted. "Who would've thought you guys would team up?"

He turned his Parablagun into his axe form, and continued his attacks.

 **ZU-GONN!**

"It's to protect those important to me!" Ex-Aid answered, pulling out the KeySlasher.

"It's to eliminate unwanted pests like you!" Genmu replied, pulling out the Breaker.

The two went for a slash, and they briefly locked blades with Para-DX. Then, Para-DX, throwing the weapons off of him, grabbed Genmu by his wrist and threw him aside. However, Ex-Aid quickly tinked an Energy Item over to Genmu's falling body.

 **INVISIBILITY!**

Genmu, noticing this, went in, turning invisible. Ex-Aid jumped over Para-DX, but Para-DX followed his moves. He didn't notice Genmu had grabbed onto him. He only noticed when hie Level was beginning to decrease. Luckily, he was able to throw him off at Level 75. This time, he threw Genmu into an Energy Item.

 **RUBBERIZE!**

Genmu then stretched his arm out towards Para-DX. The arm wrapped around Para-DX, decreasing his Level again. Para-DX struggled to break free, but Genmu persisted. Ex-Aid was able to land several hits on Para-DX too, only difference being that the damage was actually visible. At last, Para-DX broke free of Genmu's wrap, but by this point his Level had decreased to Level 50. While still stronger than Genmu, he was weaker than Ex-Aid now. With that said, Ex-Aid had kicked him in the back, sending him into some blocks that have spawned. Genmu and Ex-Aid went after him, jumping from block to block. They all grabbed the same Energy Item during this fight as well.

 **SPEED UP! SPEED UP! SPEED UP!**

Now, they all fought in a blur. Only sounds were them grunting and clashing of metal. However, eventually, Ex-Aid and Genmu gained the upper hand, and the two kicked Para-DX back onto the ground. Each Rider landed on either side of him, and then the two inserted the Gashat into their respective weapons.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

 **GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

The two charged their attacks as Para-DX struggled back up.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!**

 **MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!**

Then, the two slashed like madmen. For the first flurry of slashes, they just slashed all over his body. When Para-DX was slightly thrown back, Ex-Aid and Genmu switched places, and they continued to slash the same areas a thousand times again. And then, to finish off, they landed one critical slash right across Para-DX torso, causing an explosion.

Para-DX, grunting in frustration, pixelated away in the chaos of the explosion. Genmu stopped, and then opened up his hand. And as if on cue, the Dangerous Zombie Gashat fell into it. Ex-Aid also stopped, but he just looked at Genmu. Genmu, in response also stared back. The two didn't make any sort of noise, only the fire of the explosion crackling between and around them.

Poppy, Silica, Leafa, and Lis, who had watched the whole fight from afar, were actually stunned by how good they worked together.

"Two… Mightys!" Poppy smiled.

"Wow…" Leafa said. "They actually make a good team together!"

Later, back at the hospital, in Hiro's office, Poppy had just told the entire gang tat Emu and Kuroto finally settled their differences.

"So… here's the deal." She concluded. "Until we put an end to Kamen Rider Chronicle… could you guys all turn a blind eye to Kuroto?"

There were small murmurs among the group, but Poppy thought it was just an agreement murmur. She also had Kuroto bow down, but when he popped back up, he smiled innocently.

"I have a present for you all!" He said.

Everyone just sighed. He's going to be quite the handful now.

"First, to Emu, and you kids." He said, pulling out something. "For saving Poppy after she was brainwashed."

He placed a Gashat-Trophy onto Emu's palm. Emu studied it a bit, but Keiko was happier to see it.

"It's DoReMiFa Beat's Gashat Trophy!" She smiled.

The SAO gang briefly cheered, but Ryotarou had something else to say.

"That's not all, folks!" He smiled, reaching into his pocket.

To everyone's surprise, he pulled out the GiriGiri Chambara Gashat-Trophy.

"Wow, man." Kazuto admitted. "Where did you get this?"

"My boy Andrew and I cracked that nut wide open!" Ryotarou smiled. "Pretty cool, right?"

Even Nico had to admit, while she was sad that she wasn't able to get the kill, still getting a Gashat-Trophy was a plus. In fact, that was the last of the mid-tier Bugster Gashat-Trophies.

"And Dr. Hanaya, this is for you." Kuroto went on.

He then presented Taiga a Gashat Gear Dual β. He was surprised to see it.

"A second one?" Taiga whispered.

However, Kuroto then turned his attention to Hiro.

"And Dr. Kagami…" He said. "I will answer your question."

"The data of those that have anished are stored in the Proto-Gashats of the same type as the virus that infected them." Kuroto explained. "Whether you reunite with your loved one… now depends on you!"

Hiro didn't know how to respond. AT least he now knew that his girlfriend can be brought back. Shino took a quick note of his face.

Nico approached Kuroto to say something, but Kuroto quickly pulled out a handful of Jolly Ranchers. Nico gladly took them, popping one into her mouth.

"Be grateful to your God's blessings!" He yelled.

Just then, Poppy blew into a whistle, getting Kuroto's attention. She then presented him with her cyan BugVisor and small paper with a drawing of her as a chibi blowing on a whistle.

"Penalty!" She simply stated.

Kuroto then quickly ducked behind a chair, with Poppy still aiming her BugVisor at him. Emu sighed, as he was just tired of this.

"Let's clear Kamen Rider Chronicle as fast as we can." He suggested. "And let Kuroto atone for his sins."

"Well, he seems very useful now…" Hiro admitted.

Taiga just simply nodded at that. Poppy turned around, and smiled that everyone finally agreed with her decision.

Everyone then quickly moved onto the large table. When they did, there was a small knock. Kazuto opened the door to let Andrew in. He can only be there for a short time, as he had to go back soon. Kazuto assured this would be over quick.

Then, one by one, they all began to set down the current Gashat-Trophies that have now. Nico put down Bang Bang Shooting, Lis put down Mighty Action X, Asuna put down Taddle Quest and Bakusou Bike, Shino pout down Jet Combat, Andrew put down Gekitotsu Robots, Suguha put down Shakariki Sports, and finally, Keiko and Ryotarou put down GiriGiri Chambara and DoReMiFa Beat down.

"Okay, this all makes nine!" Nico declared. "Plus, they are all lower and mid-tier Bugsters!"

"That's amazing…!" Emu praised. "When did you guys…?"

"Well, we had some spare time." Rika smirked.

Then, Kazuto and Suguha quickly rushed over to Hiro's computer. Kazuto install a memory stick into the computer and began to type something.

"Kazuto? What are you doing?" Asuna asked.

"Sugu and I made this in our spare time." Kazuto explained. "Helped us keep track of what was going on."

When he pressed "Enter", it was ready. Suguha then turned the projector on, revealing what they had made.

They had made a pyramid chart of Kamen Rider Chronicle. The pyramid was divided into thirds. The bottom was of the lower tier, the middle is of the mid-tier, and the top is of the upper tier Bugsters. And on the top of the Pyramid, there was a question mark box. This mark the final boss of the game, which they have no idea of.

"So… it's time to move onto the upper tier, huh?" Andrew said.

And on that note, everyone prepared themselves. They are now very close to clearing Kamen Rider Chronicle and beating its boss. Let's just hope nothing gets in their way, shall we?


	40. Judgment Time

Chapter 40: Judgement Time…

 **I've gotta believe!**

(Kirito and Ex-Aid are back to back, facing a horde of Bugsters. They lift their weapons and charge as the title appears)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara**

(The SAO gang are chilling out together in a nearby café)

 **I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(Suddenly, all bystanders all transform into Ride-Players)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far**

(Brave remembers the time that Yuko died, with Asuna's afterimage looking at him; Snipe remembers the time he was defeated by Graphite, with Sinon's afterimage looking at him)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The Riders and the SAO gang together walk towards the horde of Ride Players)

 **The new beginning**

(The Riders hold up their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The Riders transform into their Lv 2 forms)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The SAO gang turn on Ordinal Scale)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(Together, they all charge at the Ride Player horde)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid goes into Lv 20, and splits into XXL and XXR; Brave twirls into Lv 50, sending a bunch of Ride Players back)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Snipe jumps into Lv 50, and rains fire upon the Ride Players; Ex-Aid jumps down in Lv 99, and slams the ground)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(The Ordinal Scale players make their way through the horde one by one)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Klein, Lisbeth, Silica, Agil, and Leafa stay back, while six figures strike a battle-ready pose. Ex-Aid raises the Breaker to his face, while Kirito goes into his battle stance. Asuna also goes into her battle stance, while Brave flips his Sword around, so he could grab the blade with his free hand. Sinon and Snipe both their weapons tightly)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(A dark green Kamen Rider glares at them, with his eyes glowing)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid and Para-DX smash their fists together)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(The SAO gang fight various Bugsters from all of the games from the Gashats)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Snipe and Sinon go back to back)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Brave and Asuna slash right next to each other)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Ex-Aid and Kirito together jump up and slash downward, cutting back to the title)

Back in prison, a loud clunking noise could be heard. That was the sound of the prison doors being opened. A man was just released from his sentence after he was exonerated from the crime he didn't commit.

"Thank you." He said.

Once stepping outside, he breathed the fresh oxygen he had not been able to for 5 years. With that done, he put on his jacket, and silently walked down the streets towards his destination…

"The time has finally come!" Ren declared, looking away at something.

Afar, the pyramid of Kamen Rider Chronicle was displayed. It showed the low-tier and mid-tier Bugsters' Gashat-Trophies x-ed out, while the upper-tier Bugsters were still glowing.

"The lower and mid-tier Bugsters have all been defeated!" He announced, quickly brushing his hair aside.

"They even managed to revive Genmu and get him on their side, huh?" Graphite admitted. "Now, it's finally my turn!"

Pallad, who had been silently recovering from his attack from the previous chapter, now stood up.

"Playtime's over, boys." He smiled. "We'll crush every single one of those Kamen Riders!"

The three Bugsters all smiled together. Now, it was time for them to take the stage.

Back at the hospital, Hiro silently stared at the screen of Dan Kuroto (Sorry, _Shin_ Dan Kuroto) and Poppy. Emu was just off the sidelines. The others are going to join them a bit later in the day.

"Okay, just don't come over here, okay?" Poppy asked.

The screen was now only separated by curtain sheet. Kuroto lifted up the sheet and looked at Poppy's pink room, which really contrasted with his black and white room, now complete with a Kamen Rider Chronicle poster and three balloons shaped like 6, 9, and 10.

"Hey, I said no peeking!" Poppy whined.

After just plainly watching, Hiro finally spoke up.

"Dan Kuroto." He said. "I have a question for you."

" _ **Shin Dan Kuroto da!**_ " Kuroto bellowed.

"Where are the Proto-Gashats?" He asked. "You had them with you the last time."

Kuroto, returning back to his side of the screen, sighed at that.

"They were most likely confiscated by the Ministry." He replied. "FYI, your girlfriend's data should be in Proto Drago Knight Hunter Z… since she was Graphite's victim."

Hiro paused to think on it. Kuroto then pixelated into the real world, as he just poured a cup of coffee. Poppy pixelated in as well, worried for Hiro.

"Hiro…" She muttered. "Are you going to revive Yuko?"

Emu was now interested too. If what Dan Kuroto was saying is true, Hiro could get his girlfriend back. He also kept in the back of his mind, that Shino would get her mother back. Hiro breathed in, and just said nothing. However, that's all they could mutter on for now, as the alarms went off. Hiro and Emu quickly dashed out of the building and towards the Bugster sightings.

The Ride-Player was just thrown back. He quickly stood back up, but his body seemed to be aching. Para-DX had just given him a punch, and Lovelica, along with his entourage of maid Bugsters, were just watching from the sidelines.

"You're all worn out." Para-DX admitted. "Just give up."

"What did you say?" The Ride-Player scolded, getting into a fighting stance. But when he did, he pulled his ankle, causing his legs to wiggle slightly.

"My, my…" Lovelica said condescendingly. "That kind of charm is worth zero, good sir. Zero."

Just then, Emu, Hiro, and Poppy quickly entered the scene. The Ride-Player covered his face in embarrassment, but the doctors paid no attention to him.

"Please, get out of here!" Emu requested. "It's too dangerous!"

The Ride-Player just whispered something of a reply, and was quickly escorted away with Poppy. Emu and Hiro put on their Gamer Drivers and confronted Para-DX and Lovelica.

"Been waiting for you!" Para-DX smiled.

Emu and Hiro both raised their Gashats, but something made them stop.

"Well, ain't this a reunion?" called a voice.

They both turned and saw Graphite on top of one of the small structures. Graphite had his signature smirk, looking pleased.

"Graphite?!" Hiro spluttered.

"You'll be fighting me!" called out a voice.

Taiga, with Nico behind him, just walked in. Graphite smiled at the presence of his killers.

"Time we settle our score, once and for all…" He smiled.

Graphite reached into his shirt and pulled out the normal purple BugVisor. Pressing the A button, he activated the standby sound and placed it on his right arm.

"Baiou…" He said.

 **INFECTION!**

 **LET'S GAME! BAD GAME! DEAD GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **THE BUGSTER!**

Graphite changed into his Bugster form. However, this time, it looked different. Instead of his usual green color, or the black color when he used the Proto Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat. He was now crimson red, the only color difference being his silver dreadlocks. Even his former black bottom is now a slight shade of red.

"He evolved…!" Poppy gasped.

Despite this though, Emu, Hiro, and Taiga stood firm. They just put on all of their Gamer Drivers, and just raised their Gashats.

"Once we defeat you all…" Emu said. "All that's left is the last boss!"

They all activated their Gashats, one by one.

"Proceeding to Level 50." Hiro stated. "Henshin!"

 **TADDLE FANTASY!**

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **TADORU, MEGURU! RPG! TADDLE FANTASY!**

"Phase 50." Taiga said. "Henshin!"

 **BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!**

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **SCRAMBLE DA! SHUTSUGEKI! HASSHIN! BANG BANG SIMULATIONS! HASSHIN!**

"Max Dai Henshin!" Emu shouted.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!**

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!**

 **MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

All three doctors transformed into their respective Rider forms. Hiro is now Brave Level 50, Taiga is Snipe Level 50, and Emu is Ex-Aid Level 99. Then, they all jumped forward to take on each Bugster. Brave took on Lovelica, Snipe took on Graphite, while Ex-Aid went at Para-DX.

Poppy and Nico quickly guarded the Ride-Player, who was still cowering. Poppy also had her cyan BugVisor out, with Kuroto on the screen. Anytime he would curse out Pallad's name. She would just smack the screen.

"Nico, you're actually well-behaved today." She commented.

Nico rolled her eyes, and told her that Taiga will only allow her to fight to land the finishing shot. And, on that note, the two stayed quiet, guarding the Ride-Player.

Brave swished his cape around and landed several punches. However, even when they landed on Lovelica, all of the attacks were registered as misses.

"No, no, no!" Lovelica teased. "In my dating game, violence is a minus to your charm."

The Bugster maids behind him made a booing noise at him, but that didn't irk Brave in the slightest.

"There is nothing I cannot cut!" He declared, pulling out the Gashacon Sword.

He then made several slashes on Lovelica, but still, they were all registered into misses.

"Tsk tsk tsk…" Lovelica commented again. "No lady will ever take a glance at you, my friend."

He then turned around and got the attention of his Bugster entourage.

"Ladies, if you'd please~?" He asked gently.

Then, all of the Bugster maids spewed out hearts that formed into anothr giant heart on Lovelica's hand. Then, turning to Brave, he launched the attack with a loud "Love!" Brave blocked the attack for as long as he could, but eventually he was knocked back.

Meanwhile, Snipe was fighting Graphite. At first, they just exchanged fists, but when Graphite pushed back Snipe to get some distance, Snipe saw a chance. He fired the cannons on his gauntlets, but Graphite pulled out his blade weapon and twirled it, deflecting nearly all of the bullets. Snipe then quickly got up on his feet and swung his arms down for a swing. However, Graphite blocked it.

"I have transcended evolution!" He declared, throwing off Snipe. "I'm now… Level 99!"

"What, is 99 the magic number these days?" Snipe joked.

Graphite, scoffing at that joke, twirled his weapon around. A streak of crimson flame twirled around, as he posed for an attack.

"Transcedance Technique…" He growled. "Exploding Dragon Fury!"

He slammed the blade down, and a long dragon shot forth from his blade. It flew around until it met Snipe. Snipe tried to block it again, but he was too knocked back by the attack.

Brave and Snipe both fell on the ground, behind Ex-Aid, forced out of their transformation.

 **GASHUNN! GASHUNN!**

Ex-Aid, who was just exchanging punches with Para-DX, was briefly pushed back as well. However, he was still in the fight, as he is still able to keep up with the Bugsters. Even so, he still couldn't fight them all in a 3-on-1 battle.

It was at this moment the Ride-Player finally cracked. He yelled as he just pushed Nico and Poppy aside and ran to the battle. However, he didn't engage the Bugsters. He just stepped in between Ex-Aid and Para-DX with his arms stretched out.

"Stop right there!" He said bravely, his arms still shaking though.

Para-DX sighed. He didn't have the patience for this.

"Move it, half-pint." He growled.

Then, with one punch swing, he just swiped the Ride-Player aside. The Ride-Player flew into the air, and landed on a wall with a loud crash, cancelling out of his transformation as well, revealing who he was. They were quite surprised too.

"Eh?!" Nico spluttered. "Recon?"

Recon, or IR name, Nagata Shinichi, quickly covered his face to avoid suspicion, but the secret was revealed.

"Wait, what?" Ex-Aid muttered.

But he quickly realized that he couldn't do anything about it until he could get away.

"Let's pull back for now!" He suggested.

Then, with Hiro and Taiga struggling up, our heroes quickly made a quick getaway, back to the hospital, leaving the Bugsters behind.

The SAO players wasted no time getting over to the hospital. Suguha came over the quickest, not for any particular reason. She quickly rushed into the patient's room, and saw that Shinichi was just lying on the hospital bed. Emu and Hiro had just finished looking him over.

"How's he doing?" Suguha asked.

"He's infected with Lovelica's game disease." Emu explained.

"Lovelica?" Suguha asked. "You mean that Bugster that goes on about love and whatnot?"

"That's the one." Emu answered.

Hiro had a question himself. But he had to finish writing down something on his clipboard first. Once he was done, he put the clipboard away, and approached Shinichi.

"Why are you playing Rider Chronicle?" He asked.

Shinichi sighed pathetically.

"I… was jealous." He admitted.

That got everyone's attention. Shinichi was never the jealous type, according to Suguha. This was a development.

"I was jealous of how you fought the Bugsters… and… I just wanted to help." He said. "So, I thought… maybe… I could revive everyone if I managed to beat a Bugster and clear Kamen Rider Chronicle…"

"But I… couldn't even beat a single one…!" Shinichi groaned, slamming a fist on the bed. "I'm pathetic!"

Everyone was quite impressed, Suguha especially.

'So that's why he's been looking so down lately…' She thought.

Then, in a surprising way, Suguha reached out and held Shinichi's hand, surprising him.

"You're not pathetic." She said gently. "You've been fighting all this time."

"You can relax now, little guy." Emu added. "We'll cure you of your game disease."

Shinichi smiled at that. However, he knew that this was his second time being in their care. So, he sat up. Suguha helped him at that.

"Is there anything I could do?" He asked.

Emu and Hiro thought for a moment, but Hiro had an idea. He grabbed Shinichi's phone that was just laying on a small table beside the hospital bed.

"There is." He replied. "If you would do it, I mean."

"I'd be glad to do it!" Shinichi answered confidently. "What do I have to do?"

Hiro turned around and gave Shinichi his phone.

"Your father's a part of Gashat development team, right?" Hiro asked. "Does he have connections to the Ministry?"

"Well, yes." Shinichi replied. "Why do you ask."

"I need you to ask him to ask the Ministry to let them give the Proto-Gashats they confiscated from Dan Kuroto to us." Hiro requested. "Can you do it?"

Shinichi thought for a moment, but he wanted to help.

"I'll try!" Shinichi replied, grabbing his phone.

After that, they asked Shinichi to get some rest. When they left the room, they all began to leave for Hiro's office.

"Shinichi may act a little bit giddy, but he's a good guy." Suguha smiled.

"Oh really?" Emu responded, raising an eyebrow.

However, Suguha understood the implication, so she immediately denied saying that, but still blushed nonetheless.

"All the more priority to clear Kamen Rider Chronicle as fast as we can." Hiro stated.

Emu and Suguha nodded on that, and the three proceeded down the hospital hallway and down to Hiro's office.

Cutting to the GENM Corp. building for some reason, the CEO's office was now occupied by someone. The man from the beginning of the chapter breathed the air in, and then breathed out, feeling some kind of freedom.

"How nostalgic…" He muttered. "Five years, it has been…"

His hands scanned over the desk until he reached a drawer. He pulled out that drawer to reveal… another cyan BugVisor and another Rider Chronicle Gashat. He took a close look at it, but then the employees of GENM quickly entered.

"Dan Masamune CEO!" One of them called.

Masamune quickly closed the drawer and then addressed the group of employees that have come to greet him.

"They finally released you?" asked another.

"I was exonerated after my son was revealed to be behind Zero Day." Masamune replied.

"Thank goodness!" sighed a female employee. "The new CEO's been doing whatever he wants, and a made a huge mess for us to deal with!"

"I've heard about this new game of ours." Masamune added. "Don't worry everyone. I will restore this company to what it once was."

The employees murmured amongst themselves, relieved to have their old CEO back. However, a shout of acknowledgement stopped the murmuring. Ren entered the room.

"I figured they'd release you sooner or later." He admitted.

Masamune quickly told the employees present to be dismissed. All of the employees obeyed, and quickly filed themselves out of the room. That left Masamune and Ren alone in the CEO's office.

"So, you're that new notorious CEO I've been hearing about?" He asked.

"I believe… that is my seat." Ren said bluntly, ignoring Masamune's question.

"I won't let you control this company as if it was your plaything…" Masamune then said coldly, opening the previous drawer. "Bugster."

He then aimed the cyan BugVisor at Ren. However, Ren didn't seem fazed by this, as he just simply pushed the BugVisor away from his face.

"Bravery and recklessness are two different things, my good sir…" He chuckled.

He then went around the back of Masamune's desk, explaining something.

"Your son designed that BugVisor II (Zwei) for a Bugster to use." He explained. "If a human were to use it, he would be infected with an immeasurable amount of the Bugster virus and… vanish."

Masamune looked at Ren questioningly as Ren just blew on a rose, breaking it into a rain of petals.

Now, the entire party have assembled. Kazuto, Asuna, Rika, Keiko, Ryotarou, Shino, Suguha, Yui, Hiro, Taiga, Nico, Emu and even Andrew were here. Kuroto was silently working away on his laptop a bit away from them. Everyone else was huddled by the table. Kazuto and Suguha had their Kamen Rider Chronicle pyramid up on the display monitor, so everyone could have easy access to it. Emu slammed his hands on the table to grab everyone's attention.

"Just a bit further until we clear Kamen Rider Chronicle!" He declared.

Everyone had a little murmur of jubilation, but this was still premature.

"So, we have nine Gashat-Trophies so far…" Hiro commented.

"All that's left is Pallad, Graphite and Lovelica." Taiga explained, looking at the monitor.

Nico got puzzled by this though.

"Wait, aren't there 13 games?" She asked. "Aren't we short by one?"

"Well, Pallad is two games in one, so he counts as two, right?" Shino suggested.

"Right on the money, Shino!" Kazuto complimented.

Nico pouted as she just sat down.

"But keep in mind." Emu warned. "They are high level, we can't do anything rash."

"Yep." Kazuto agreed. "Fighting high-leveled enemies on your own would be too dangerous."

"So…" Asuna suggested. "Will we be working as a team? All of us?"

"Looks like it." Hiro replied.

Then, all eyes fell on Kuroto. Kuroto smiled, and put his laptop away. He then stood up and approached the debating players.

"So my talents are needed, yes?" He smiled.

Nico cowered a bit, but Kuroto assured that he would keep himself in check. With Kuroto's help guaranteed, Suguha then began to make up a plan.

"Alright then!" She started. "First, we're going to beat Lovelica, so we can cure Shinichi of his game disease."

Everyone agreed on that. As per due to the doctors, the patient always comes first. Just then Yui had a thought. She quickly flew off of Asuna's shoulder and over to Kuroto.

"Um, Kuroto?" She started.

" _ **Shin Dan Kuroto da!**_ " Kuroto suddenly bellowed.

Everyone rolled their eyes at that. But Yui still had to answer her question.

"Shin-Kuroto..." She asked again. "Who's the final boss of Kamen Rider Chronicle?"

Kuroto smiled evilly at that question. He was hoping someone would ask that in the future.

"The final boss is the ultimate Bugster…" He smiled. "…Gamedeus."

Everyone got stunned for a bit. They were surprised by the claim. The "ultimate" Bugster? What was that supposed to mean?

Coincidentally, the Bugsters were wondering the same thing.

"Just who is this Gamedeus?" Graphite asked. "And why hasn't he showed himself to us?"

"Unfortunately, we have no idea who it is either." Ren replied. "The only person who does… is Dan Kuroto."

"Does it matter who the final boss is?" Pallad asked. "It's not like we're going to lose to a bunch of humans!"

"Gamedeus is an almighty Bugster god, more powerful than all of the games combined." Kuroto explained. "When all of the stages are cleared, Gamedeus will descend upon this world."

"However…" He continued. "No one can beat Gamedeus!"

Everyone was in shock now. Just how powerful is Gamedeus?

"Players will challenge the impossible and be cruelly killed!" Kuroto declared. "Thus… the legends of dreams and adventures will continue forever!"

Everyone didn't know how to respond. Another unbeatable game final boss?

"IS this guy serious?" Nico asked.

Hiro angrily slammed his fist on the table.

"Are you saying that Rider Chronicle could never be cleared?!" He shouted.

"This is another Sword Art Online…" Rika muttered under his breath.

"Oh, on the contrary, my good doctor and player…" Kuroto smiled. "Unlike Sword Art Online… Kamen Rider Chronicle… can be cleared. In theory at least."

"If someone holds the power of the legendary warrior…" He revealed, pulling out a Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat. "Kamen Rider… Chronos."

He then showed everyone the boxart of the Gashat. While it did depict the other Riders in black, the main Rider, up in front of the boxart, had green features highlighted.

"Kamen Rider Chronos…?" Kazuto muttered.

"However, as I said, in theory." Kuroto corrected. "Unless someone has developed the perfect antibody to every strain of the Bugster virus up until now… we can only hope for a miracle."

Everyone sighed. Even when there is hope, it is like a light emanating from a tiny hole.

"What is it with you game developers and making such difficult games?" Asuna asked.

Despite this though, Emu was up for the challenge. He smiled at it, and looked over to the monitor.

"No matter at all!" He said. "Let's work together, and clear this game!"

And with that, the meeting was adjourned. They gave each other three days to rest and recover before they engaged the Bugsters. As the SAO players left to get a break and visit Shinichi, Emu quickly spoke with Hiro and Taiga about something.

 _(Cue Excite!)_

Now, over the next three days, the doctors and the SAO players all focused their energy on prepping for what was potentially the final fight of this whole ordeal. However, the Riders had a little surprise.

Kazuto and Suguha woke up bright and early to practice kendo. They did for the entire morning. However, when they took a break, a mailman rang their doorbell, saying they have a package for the two. Suguha and Kazuto accepted their packages, and quickly opened them to see what it was. To their surprise, it was the Drago Knight Hunter Z and Shakariki Sports Gashats. There was also a small letter. Suguha quickly read it, and quickly understood what it meant.

They weren't the only ones who had gotten this type of thing. When Asuna got home from the meeting, she first emptied out her purse. One of the things that fell out was the Taddle Quest Gashat, not the Gashat-Trophy. Asuna was surprised by this, but she couldn't do anything about it.

Rika and Silica were just as surprised. They went home together, and they stopped by a food stall to grab dinner. However, when they were looking for money to pay, they were surprised to see Gashats. Rika found Mighty Action X in her pocket, while Silica found DoReMiFa Beat in hers.

Ryotarou returned from a hard day's work. When he came home, he plopped down on his couch to watch some late-night TV. However, he sat on one of his jackets, but what was interesting was that it made a clacking sound. He quickly stood up and looked at his jacket. He searched in one of its pockets, and to his surprise, he found the Bakusou Bike and GiriGiri Chambara Gashats. He was ecstatic, but he kept in under wraps as he didn't want to disturb his neighbors.

Andrew worked silently in his café. Emu actually came by and came for a drink. He grabbed a cup of coffee, and then proceeded to the register, which was operated by Andrew. He left the money on the counter, and quickly left. Andrew took the money, but he also felt something solid within the money. He soon realized that it was the Gekitotsu Robots Gashat. He was actually confused by this, and just put it away in his pocket.

Hiro walked into Shinichi's room. He wanted to know what happened. But the answer isn't what he was hoping for. Shinichi told him that the Proto-Gashats went missing. Hiro was shocked, as he just had to linger on the fact that they're gone.

Dan Masamune walked out of his office, holding a small black case. He smiled as he walked down the hall and towards the elevator.

Taiga was just sitting on bench. Nearby, Nico was on a swingset.

"Time we settled the score, huh?" Nico called out.

"Yeah." Taiga replied. "I'm going to pummel Graphite."

He then stood up and walked away. Nico jumped off the swing and quickly went after her. Then, something called out Taiga's name. Taiga turned around and a white doctor's coat was flung toward him. He saw that Shino had walked up to him, smiling.

"Then you better do it." She joked.

Taiga smiled, and tossed two things to Shino as well. Shino caught them, and to her surprise, they were Bang Bang Shooting and Jet Combat Gashats. Shino was about to ask, but Taiga had thrown on that doctor's coat and left her behind.

Kuroto looked at the two Gashats he had, and he growled quietly.

"Pallad…" He growled. "You will pay for going against me…"

Meanwhile, the Bugsters were prepping as well.

"It's time for the final curtain to be raised…" Ren said.

"Once all of the Kamen Riders are defeated…" Graphite continued.

"The ending will follow right after!" Pallad finished off with a smile.

And finally, Emu looked out of the window of his house, as the sky turned into a dark blue. Poppy was nearby, albeit in her pixie size. She was sitting on one of Emu's books that was lying on his desk.

"If we win this battle…" She said.

"Let's end it." Emu declared. "Kamen Rider Chronicle."

The day of reckoning has arrived. It was time for the final battle to commence. Emu, Hiro, Taiga, and Kuroto all walked slowly toward the Bugsters. Speaking of which, the Bugsters were patiently waiting for them to arrive as well. They watched as the doctors approached them, Gamer Drivers on, and stopped just shy of them. The Bugsters greeted them warmly, but the doctors did not return the sentiment.

However, the doctors weren't alone. Poppy and Nico quickly scuttled behind a wall, waiting to move in.

"Wait till they're ready, I'll support you from the back." Poppy assured.

"You got it!" Nico smiled.

With this said, though, the SAO gang also came into the scene. However, they let the doctors do all the talking.

"Bugsters." Hiro called out. "Your existence is a no thank you."

"Well, well, well…" Ren smiled. "It will be the same whatever you try!"

"Graphite…" Taiga scowled. "I'll pummel you into the ground this time…!"

"Is that so?" Graphite smiled. "Then get ready to say hi to death for me!"

"Pallad…" Kuroto warned. "I will punish you for betraying me."

"Emu!" Pallad smiled, completely ignoring Kuroto. "This is the decisive final battle!"

"I will defeat all of you…" Emu declared. "And clear Kamen Rider Chronicle!"

Then, with the chatter aside, all of them transformed. First, the Bugster took the stage first.

"Baiou…" Ren said, pressing the A button on his BugVisor.

 **INFECTION!**

 **LET'S GAME! BAD GAME! DEAD GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **THE BUGSTER!**

"Baiou!" Graphite called out, pressing the A button on his BugVisor.

 **INFECTION!**

 **LET'S GAME! BAD GAME! DEAD GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!**

 **THE BUGSTER!**

"Max Dai Henshin!" Pallad called out, inserting the Gashat into his Driver and opening the Driver.

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! MAZARU UP!**

 **AKAI KOBUSHI TSUYOSA! AOI PUZZLE RENSA! AKA TO AO NO KOUSA! PERFECT KNOCK OUT!**

The Bugsters all turned to their respective forms. Ren became Lovelica, becoming enveloped in bouquets and flowers, Graphite turned to his monster form, with the shade of red all over his body, and Pallad, he transformed into Kamen Rider Para-DX Level 99.

Now, it was the doctor's turns. They all raised their Gashats, and transformed.

"Proceeding to Level 50." Hiro called out. "Henshin!"

 **TADDLE FANTASY!**

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **TADORU, MEGURU! RPG! TADDLE FANTASY!**

"Phase 50." Taiga called out. "Henshin!"

 **BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!**

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **SCRAMBLE DA! SHUTSUGEKI! HASSHIN! BANG BANG SIMULATIONS! HASSHIN!**

"Grade X-0." Kuroto called out. "Henshin!"

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

 **GASHATTO! GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL UP!**

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N! X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **DANGER! DANGER! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

"Max Dai Henshin!" Emu called out.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!**

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!**

 **MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

Now, all of the doctors have transformed. Hiro became Kamen Rider Brave Level 50, Taiga became Kamen Rider Snipe Level 50, and Emu became Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Level 99. Kuroto, on the other hand, turned into Kamen Rider Genmu Zombie Gamer. This was due to the effect of using the Dangerous Zombie Gashat.

Just then, Para-DX looked behind them, and saw the SAO players just standing by. They were in the Ordinal Scale forms.

"Hey!" He called out. "You can join in too! Just don't touch Emu, okay?"

Kirito shrugged the comment off, and just turned to his friends.

"You guys ready?" He asked.

"Uh-huh!" Asuna smiled.

Then, with that, they all raised their Gashats.

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING! JET COMBAT!**

 **BAKUSOU BIKE! GIRIGIRI CHAMBARA!**

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **DOREMIFA BEAT!**

 **GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

 **SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

Then, they all pressed their Gashat one more time.

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

A dragon appeared in the air. Then, the dragon spilt apart and flew down to Kirito. The sword arm of the dragon attached onto his right arm, and the gun arm attached onto his left arm. The legs folded back and attached onto his legs, and the main body landed on Kirito's body.

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

Asuna got a small shield that covered her lower left arm, and she also got blue gloves. Her outfit also slightly changed as well, the color changed to the blue of Taddle Quest. And, in her hands, the Gashacon Sword appeared.

 **BANGBABANG! BABANGBANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING! A GACCHA! JET! JET! IN THE SKY! JET! JET! JET COMBAT!**

Sinon got the garments and colors of Bang Bang Shooting, complete with neon yellow changes on her outfit, and the sash over her neck. Then, the small Jet Combat robots appeared in front of her. It nodded, and then flew to her back. Its arms were placed just behind her legs, and the its body became her armor. She also gained a special visor that resembled a pilot's helmet. The Gashacon Magnum also materialized into her hands.

 **BAKUSOU! DOKUSOU! GEKISOU! BOUSOU! BAKUSOU BIKE! A GACCHA! GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! CHAMBARA!**

Klein's red garments all slightly changed to a shade of bright yellow. Then, the GiriGiri Chambara robot appeared and spilt apart. Its legs flipped around and attached onto his arms. Then, its arms flipped around and attached onto his legs. Then, the head of the robot, flew around and then pasted itself onto Klein's head, giving Klein a badass samurai helmet. Klein almost fangirled, but he kept himself in check. The Gashacon Sparrow appeared in his hands.

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!**

Lis's red faded into a bright shade of pink. Then, surprisingly, her hair also turned into the shade of pink. She brushed it, making comparisons to her ALO hair. The Gashacon Breaker also appeared in her hands.

 **DO-DO-DO-RE-MI-FA! SO-LA-SI-DO! OK! DOREMIFA BEAT!**

Silica's blue attire stayed the same, but the DoReMiFa Beat robot turned in. The robot split apart and flew around her. Its arms attached together and pasted onto her right arm, and its legs attached and passed onto her left shoulder. The rest of the robot fell on her torso, even giving her a small cap and a mic.

 **BUTTOBASE TOTSUGEKI! GEKITOTSU PUNCH! GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!**

Agil was kind of taken back by the sudden appearance of the Gekitotsu Robots robot. Its arms split off and attached together. It then fell into his right arm, and the rest of the body attached onto his body.

 **SHAKARIKI, SHAKARIKI, BAD! BAD! SHAKATTO, RIKITTO, SHAKARIKI SPORTS!**

Leafa looked around and saw the Shakariki Sports BMX bike ride around her. Then, it jumped up and twisted itself. It then attached onto her torso, surprising her a bit.

Now, the stage was set. All combatants of each side were now ready to begin their fight.

"We will now begin the Bugster excision!" Brave announced, raising his hands as if was preparing an operation.

"Mission start!" Snipe shouted.

"I'll clear this… even with continues!" Genmu shouted.

Ex-Aid waited a bit, as he pulled out the Gashacon KeySlasher and stepped forward.

"I'll clear this…" He said. "With no continues!"

That was the signal. Both side charged at each other. This was the battle. Who will win?

First, the group separated into three. Snipe, Sinon, Kirito, and Asuna took on Graphite. Brave, with Lisbeth, Silica, Leafa, fought Lovelica. Lastly, Ex-Aid and Genmu, with Agil and Klein, fought Para-DX. Poppy and Nico stayed back, knowing that they can't intervene yet.

So far, it was just an equivalent exchange of blows. Graphtie swung his blade down, and Snipe blocked it. Thay gave Sinon and Kirito an opening to fire. However, Graphite threw off Snipe and quickly deflected all of the attacks. This distracted Graphite long enough. Asuna quickly came in and landed two slashes on Graphite. While not doing much, that got Graphite attention. Snipe then laid fire on him, sending him back a bit.

Brave, Lis, and Leafa did everything to Lovelica. However still, all of their attacks were registered as misses. Lovelica chuckled, and just swiped them all aside. Silica even tried with her music attacks, but they were all registered as misses too.

"Come on out, _my lovely girls_!" He called, clapping his hands.

Then, a group of Bugster maids appeared right behind him. This made the girls all groan in disgust.

"Why are dating games even a thing?!" Lis groaned.

Ex-Aid saw this, but was currently locked blades with Para-DX. However, when he threw him off, Klein quickly intercepted with his Sparrows.

"We got this, Emu!" He called. "Help the girls!"

"Right!" Ex-Aid replied.

He then turned around and pulled out his Gashat. He then inserted it into the KeySlasher.

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!**

He then aimed the KeySlasher at the Bugster maids. Lovelica quickly reacted, and he raced towards Ex-Aid.

"I will not let you harm my ladies!" He shouted.

However, a bike wheel soared through the air and bounced off Lovelica. Lovelica tumbled on the ground, but quickly got up. He saw Leafa catch the wheel and reattached it to her shoulder.

"I don't think so!" She smiled.

Then, she ran forward and held down Lovelica. Graphite saw this, and quickly went to assist his comrade.

"You're in the way!" He shouted.

He raised his blade, but Sinon quickly fired a flurry of bullets. That made Graphite drop his blade, and Kirito and Asuna quickly landed several strikes on him. Following that, Snipe fired two shots, sending him back.

"That's my line!" He shouted.

Para-DX, still exchanging blows with Klein, turned to see what Ex-Aid was doing. Agil used that distraction to go in for a punch. However, Para-DX was attentive. He quickly threw off Klein, and grabbed hold of Agil's punch. He threw him into Klein, but when he did Genmu jumped in and clashed blades. Para-DX didn't waste time, as with one slash, Genmu dissipated.

"Emu, your fight is with me!" He shouted, running over to Ex-Aid.

However, Genmu's CONTINUE pipe shot forward, and Genmu sprang up from it. Life meter decreasing to 96, he kicked Para-DX away from Ex-Aid, and growled.

"No, it is with me!" He shouted.

"Emu! Do it!" Leafa shouted.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!**

He pulled the trigger, and the Bugster maids panicked. They didn't know what to do. The blast was now coursing its way over to them.

"Don't! Stop!" Lovelica pleaded.

But it was too late. The blast hit the Bugster maids, and they dissipated away. Lovelica was heartbroken, as he just stopped wincing and grunting from Leafa's grasp.

"My… honeys…" He moaned.

Then, Leafa stood up, and then kicked Lovelica as hard as she could. This time, the attack was registered as a hit. Lis then stood him up, and then slashed down his back.

"Wow, that felt good!" She cheered.

"Now, we can cut you out!" Brave shouted, pulling out his Sword.

"Poppy! Nico!" Silica called. "Now's your chance!"

Nico and Poppy then quickly came out of their hiding spots. Poppy put on her BugVisor II, while Nico just raised her Gashat.

"Let's do this thing!" Nico cheered.

Then, out of nowhere, a strong pulse eminated from somewhere. It was so powerful, that even all of the fighters had stopped fighting to gather themselves from it. When the pulse was gone, the sky had suddenly turned to pitch black. Then, there was a loud gonging sound. It was like that of the Big Ben. Everyone turned to where it was coming from, and found it. A large green clock had appeared at the top of some steps, with candles lighting the way up to it.

"Wait, why is night all of a sudden?" Nico asked.

Then, a figure just blurred past Nico and Poppy. However, once he had slown down to become visible, everyone saw who it was. No one knew, but Poppy and Genmu did.

"Kuroto's… father?" Poppy muttered.

"Why… how are you…" Genmu spluttered.

"Ladies and gentlemen…" Dan Masamune said, walking past the fighters. "This… is an illegal game."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sinon asked, landing gently on the ground.

"You're in the way! Beat it!" Graphite ordered.

Masamune ignored them, and just walked up the steps until he was in front of the large clock.

"Kamen Rider Chronicle is a game the world should be proud of." He stated, facing the fighters. "Its contents are supposed to be loved. I can't just let you finish a game like that."

The clocked ticked once, and Masamune turned his attention directly at them.

"Well done, Kuroto…" He said. "No… Dangerous Zombie."

"And Perfect Knock Out." He continued. "You two have completed my Kamen Rider Chronicle in my absence."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Para-DX spluttered.

"Kuroto's Talents and the Bugsters are nothing more than mere products of GENM Corporation." Masamune went on. "It is I, who created GENM Corp."

"Not you… and most certainly not you." He retorted, turning to Genmu and Lovelica. "I… am the CEO."

He then raised the BugVisor II to his head, and then put it on his waist.

 **GACHANN…**

"Now…" He said, raising a Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat. "It's time for judgement."

The clock ticked one more time, and the clock now struck 12. Gonging noises could be heard, as Masamune pressed the Gashat.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

He pressed the A button on the BugVisor II, and started the standby music. He then silently inserted the Gashat into the BugVisor.

 **GASHATTO…**

"Hen… shin…" He said, pressing the button underneath the Gashat port.

 **BUCKLE UP…**

 **TEN NO TSUKAME RIDER! KIZAME CHRONICLE! IMA KOSO TOKI WA KIWAMARERI…!**

Suddenly, Masamune began to change. The numbers of the clock formed around in front of him, and then a green Rider image appeared over his head. When the clock numbers fall into the BugVisor, the green Rider image shot down Masamune, turning him into a green Kamen Rider. However, not everyone knew who it was, but Genmu did. Still, everyone else still had questions.

"H-How is able to transform with the BugVisor II?" Lovelica spluttered.

"That's… the legendary warrior…" Ex-Aid muttered.

"Kamen Rider… Chronos!" Genmu finished.

Chronos, having made his entrance, now stepped down to the Rider's levels, and then told something very interesting.

"Patient zero of the Bugster virus…" He began. "Wasn't just you, Maximum Mighty X."

Ex-Aid winced at that remark, but just listened on.

"16 years ago, I infected myself with the Bugster virus…" Chronos went on. "Developing the perfect antibody."

With that said though, no one had made a move. Ex-Aid moved first.

"Recon's life is at stake here!" Ex-Aid shouted, running towards Chronos.

"Don't interfere with our operation!" Brave shouted, going for Chronos.

"Get lost!" Taiga shouted, running towards Chronos.

"Wait!" Genmu shouted, running to stop the others.

Leafa, Brave, Snipe, and Genmu all ran at Chronos. Chronos just stretched his hands out in response.

 _ **PAUSE…**_

Then, everything stopped. Nothing moved an inch. He made shushing sound, and then turned to Riders.

"Please, please…" He said. "Order in the court."

Then, everything resumed. Explosions engulfed the Riders, and even the SAO players. They all cancelled out of their transformations. Poppy and Nico rushed over to assist them. However, they don't know what just happened.

"What… what was that just now?" Asuna asked, grunting.

"When did he attack us?" Taiga spluttered.

"Wait… 'Pause'?" Kirito mentioned, helping Asuna. "Is that…?"

"Yes…" Kuroto answered. "That… is the legendary power… that can defeat Gamedeus!"

Chronos stood silently, having delivered his so-called judgement to the Riders. The Bugsters, on the other hand, were not easily pleaed by this.

"You're an eyesore!" Para-DX called. "Beat it!"

Then, he jumped into the air for a downward slash. Graphite grabbed his blade, and launched a firestrike. Lovelica, not having any abilities, just ran at Chronos. However, Chronos pressed both buttons of his BugVisor again.

 _ **PAUSE…**_

 _The clock behind Masamune ticks four more times, each tick slower than the other. Then, with one grunt of Lovelica, everything came to a grinding halt. No one moved a muscle. Even the candlelights had stopped. Chronos, on the other hand, was the only that could. He slowly inched over to the Bugsters._

 _First, he went over to Para-DX._

" _Misbehaving children…" He commented. "Are the worst."_

 _ **GACHANN…**_

 _He put on his BugVisor in its blaster form, and fired a shot onto Para-DX. The impact did meet him, but the Pause still stopped any movement._

 _ **GACHANN…**_

 _Chronos then moved onto Graphite. He turned his BugVisor into its chainsaw form. He slashed upward, launching Graphite into the way of his attack._

 _ **GACHONN…**_

 _Finally, he moved onto Lovelica. He had something planned for him though._

" _You, on the other hand…" He remarked. "Have lost all commercial value to me."_

 _He put on the BugVisor on his waist again, and pressed the B button twice._

 _ **GACHANN… KIMEWAZA…**_

 _ **CRITICAL CREWS-AID!**_

 _A large image of a clock appeared below him and Lovelica. The small clockhand was on Lovelica, while the big clockhand was on Chronos. When he twirled, the big clockhand followed his feet. Chronos delivered a devastating backkick that struck Lovelica when the big clockhand struck the small one. When Chronos turned around, the attack was on Lovelica, but still, nothing had happened._

 _ **SHUEN NO ICHIGEKI…**_

" _Toki Meki Crisis…" He declared. "Is no longer in stock."_

 _He then pressed both buttons on his BugVisor, resuming time._

 _ **RESTART.**_

The night returned to the bright sunny day, but the Bugsters had just finally received their attacks. They were all consumed in a large explosion, catching the Riders off guard. Graphite and Pallad, reverting back to their normal forms, tumbled out of the explosion, unscathed, but still injured. Lovelica, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He fell on his knees, and then… he just simply… evaporated.

 **GAME CLEAR!**

Suguha smiled to herself, as she thought that Shinichi was now cured of his game disease. But still, no one had spoke a word. They had just witness a someone defeat an enemy they spent unknown amount of time trying to beat. Graphite, on the other hand, just scoffed.

"Do what you want." He taunted. "Lovelica is a complete Bugster! He could be revived as many times as needed!"

Graphite outstretched his BugVisor, but nothing happened. Chronos tilted his head to Graphite condescendingly. Graphite pressed the button on his BugVisor, confused by what is going on.

"Wha-, why can't I revive him?" He spluttered.

Chronos decided to enlightened him.

"Those that meet their death in the midst of stopped time cannot continue on." He declared. "He is trapped in that moment of death… permanently."

Graphite and Pallad were horrified by this. All this time, as they are complete Bugsters, they had no point of worrying about death. Now, permanent death is now possible to the Bugsters.

Chronos now turned to the others, but addressed everyone in the area.

"From this moment forward, I shall administer Kamen Rider Chronicle." He said. "And I shall judge all of your fates."

"I…" He remarked. "Am now your god."

And on that chilling note, Chronos then pixelated away, leaving the stunned warriors behind. No one uttered a single sound. They were too stunned by this. Pallad, however, clenched his chest, shaking silently.

"Lovelica… dead?" He muttered under his breath.

Emu looked over, and saw Pallad's scared disposition. The atmosphere of this situation is now intensely grave. What was supposed to be their final battle, was just the debut of another villain.


	41. Turncoats II

Chapter 41: Turncoats II

 **I've gotta believe!**

(Kirito and Ex-Aid are back to back, facing a horde of Bugsters. They lift their weapons and charge as the title appears)

 **I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara**

(The SAO gang are chilling out together in a nearby café, but Kirito suddenly stands up and leaves.)

 **I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni**

(With him gone, the other SAO players just crash through the floor, with Asuna trying to reach out.)

 **Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far**

(Brave remembers the time that Yuko died, with Asuna's afterimage looking at him; Snipe remembers the time he was defeated by Graphite, with Sinon's afterimage looking at him)

 **Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa**

(The Riders and the SAO gang together walk towards the horde of Ride Players)

 **The new beginning**

(The Riders hold up their Gashats)

 **Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda**

(The Riders transform into their Lv 2 forms)

 **I've gotta believe!**

(The SAO gang turn on Ordinal Scale)

 **(Turn it on!) soutou**

(Together, they all charge at the Ride Player horde)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru**

(Ex-Aid goes into Lv 20, and splits into XXL and XXR; Brave twirls into Lv 50, sending a bunch of Ride Players back)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga**

(Snipe jumps into Lv 50, and rains fire upon the Ride Players; Ex-Aid jumps down in Lv 99, and slams the ground)

 **Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake**

(The Ordinal Scale players make their way through the horde one by one)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Klein, Lisbeth, Silica, Agil, and Leafa stay back, while six figures strike a battle-ready pose. Ex-Aid raises the Breaker to his face, while Kirito goes into his battle stance. Asuna also goes into her battle stance, while Brave flips his Sword around, so he could grab the blade with his free hand. Sinon and Snipe both their weapons tightly)

 **(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now**

(Kamen Rider Chronos glares at them, with his menacing green eyes glowing)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(Ex-Aid and Para-DX smash their fists together)

 **EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa**

(The SAO gang fight various Bugsters from all of the games from the Gashats)

 **(One!) kono te no naka**

(Snipe and Sinon go back to back)

 **(Two!) susumubeki Life**

(Brave and Asuna slash right next to each other)

 **(Three!) ikitekudake**

(Ex-Aid and Kirito together jump up and slash downward, cutting back to the title)

The SAO players and the Riders have just returned to hospital from their fight with the were now trying to assess the situation that is Kamen Rider Chronos. Everyone was just sitting quietly, but Kuroto… was being Kuroto. The only difference is that he was on the screen of his and Poppy's rooms.

"This is beyond my expectations!" Kuroto stated. "Who could've thought that my father would be the one to obtain the power of Kamen Rider Chronos?!"

And on that note, he began to comedically bang his head against the wall.

"Looks like Dan Masamune is another obstacle to get past." Hiro admitted, taking a bite out of his cake.

"Just one problem though…" Asuna chimed in. "What is his plan?"

Everyone thought about what Asuna had said. However, all the while, the sound of metal banging echoed quietly in the background.

"Hey, Kuroto!" Ryotarou complained. "Pipe down, will ya?"

" **SHIN DAN KUROTO DA**!" Kuroto bellowed.

Luckily though, they weren't the only ones who were troubled by this. The Bugsters, still hiding out in the basement of GENM Corp. Salty, Graphite, and Pallad were trying to figure out their next game plan.

However, Pallad was shaking. He never thought that Chronos would enter the picture and change everything. It wasn't so supposed to be like this. All he had to do was defeat the Riders, and humanity was right for the taking. But, with Lovelica dead, this changed the plan by a huge margin.

"Lovelica… dead…" He silently whispered.

"That bastard Chronos…" Graphite growled. "Pallad! Are we just going to let him do as he pleases?"

Pallad looked up to Graphite, but the doors of the basement swung open. Pallad's eyes widened as he saw who entered.

Dan Masamune, holding a fruit basket, calmly walked over to the Bugsters. Graphite and Salty didn't seem to react much, but Pallad quietly quivered.

"My condolences for your loss of Lovelica." Masamune said.

"What are you here for?" Salty demanded. "Are you trying to make us salty?!"

Masamune silently placed the fruit basket down, and then addressed the Bugsters.

"All of you are my company's valued products." Masamune said. "I need you to enliven Kamen Rider Chronicle, as your duties as the enemy characters."

"And, in turn…" He went on, picking up a rose from the fruit basket. "I will keep the Kamen Rider at bay to ensure any interruptions are out of the way."

"So… do we have an agreement?" He asked with a smile.

Salty opened his mouth to say something, but Graphite shoved him out of the way to confront Masamune.

"Don't you order us around!" He barked. "The Kamen Riders will be defeated… and then you're next!"

"Whether you will stay in stock…" Masamune said, turning into a more ominous tone. "Depends on my judgement alone."

He sniffed the rose he had in his hand, and then he just dropped it to the floor. He crushed the rose with his feet, turning the flower into paste.

"If you all wish to avoid the fate that befell Lovelica…" He snarled. "Make sure you're worth something."

And on that note, Masamune smiled evilly, no different from his son, and left the basement, leaving the Bugsters behind. Pallad, still scared of Masamune, lifted up his legs and curled up into a ball.

A little while later, back at the hospital, Hiro decided to break the news to everyone. So, he addressed everyone.

"I have something to tell you all." He said. "The Proto-Gashats held by the Ministry had gone missing."

Everyone was surprised by this news.

"W-we have to find them quickly then!" Emu stated. "Your girlfriend's data is one of them!"

"But that begs the question though." Kazuto said. "Who could've gotten their hands on them?"

"Not many people have clearance by the Ministry…" Hiro said. "We can only assume-"

However, Hiro was cut off by the alarms. That was a signal that another game disease patient has been spotted. With that said, everyone headed out to the sighting.

The patient was a Ride-Player. He was currently fighting Salty, who was having no trouble fighting back. Salty was just punching and smaking away at the Ride-Player, who was not even trying to fight back.

"Too salty!" He called out as he continued attacking the Ride-Player. "Too much salt!"

And with another punch, the Ride-Player was thrown into a rock. Salty rubbed his hands together, and went for a final blow, but Ex-Aid just in time. While he was in his Level 2 body, he had the Maximum Mighty X Gashat inserted into his Driver. He punched Ex-Aid off of the Ride-Player, and quickly turned to the Ride-Player.

"Please, this game is dangerous to play!" He insisted.

"Buzz off! I know that already!" The Ride-Player said crossly.

Salty took this opportunity to go for an attack, but something else got in his way.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

Seemingly out of nowhere, Lisbeth, Asuna, and Kirito flew in behind, each with their own Gashats activated. They decided to keep Salty at bay, and eventually, together, they just threw him away. Just a few moments later, Hiro and the other came in.

"So, is this the patient?" He asked.

"Well, yes." Ex-Aid replied, lifting him up.

Kirito turned to help Ex-Aid. However, just as he began to make his way over, a powerful slash attack landed on his back, making him fall. Asuna and Lisbeth quickly turned to help, but they realized who the attacker was.

"All of you come at me!" Graphite shouted, stretching his arms to the side.

Kirito stood up, gladly accepting the challenge. Lisbeth and Asuna decided to help as well. Taiga and Nico just walked in as well, having their Gashats to their sides. Hiro and the others also pulled out their Gashats, and were ready to fight Graphite.

"Gentlemen…" echoed an eerie voice. "This… is an illegal match."

Everyone saw Chronos slowly walking towards them. He has his arms to his side, not making any sort of move.

"Kamen Rider Chronicle is a game to entertain Ride-Players…" He stated. "Not a game where fellow products fight each other."

"Stop messing around!" Ex-Aid shouted in annoyance.

Then, the Riders and the players all charged at Chronos, who in turn pressed both buttons on his BugVisor.

 _ **PAUSE…**_

 _Everything slowed down to a standstill one more time. Ex-Aid and Brave froze in running positions, along with Kirito, Lis, and Asuna. Along with them, Taiga and Nico froze with their Gashats by their face. Poppy was by the Ride-Player, but had frozen next to him again. Graphite, who was about to launch an attack, also froze in mid-swing of his weapon. Chronos, now surveying what stood before him, made his move._

" _Now then…" He stated, taking a few steps forward._

 _ **RESTART.**_

Time went back to its normal, state, with everyone being able to move again. However, something was different. They realized that Brave was nowhere to be seen.

"What the…?" Kirito muttered. "Brave! Where are you!?"

"Chronos must've taken him…" Taiga said. "But why…?"

Despite this though, Ex-Aid reverted back to Emu and rushed over to the Ride-Player. Together, with Kirito, he escorted him back to the hospital, leaving Taiga and Nico to return back to Taiga's building.

Speaking of Brave, he had reverted back to Hiro, and was in some kind of abandoned foundary. He looked around, and found Chronos simply standing there, with his hands by his side.

"What are you trying to do?" He asked.

"Taddle Fantasy… I require your assistance in moderating Kamen Rider Chronicle…" Chronos requested. "As my right-hand man."

"I refuse." Hiro replied bluntly.

Hiro put on his Gamer Driver and pulled out his Gashat Gear Dual β. He twisted the knob to his game, and inserted it into the Driver.

 **TADDLE FANTASY!**

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

"Proceeding to Level 50." He stated, opening the Driver. "Henshin!"

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **TADORU, MEGURU! RPG! TADDLE FANTASY!**

Hiro transformed into Kamen Rider Brave Level 50, with the Gashacon Sword appearing in his hands.

"We will end Kamen Rider Chronicle." He declared. "And if you are going to obstruct us, then I will cut you."

"My, my…" Chronos muttered.

Brave ignored this, and went onto attacking Chronos. He went for a series of various sword strikes, but Chronos made no effort in dodging them. For a good while, all Chronos did was deflect and dodge all of Brave's attacks. However, he did land one palm strike on the center of Brave's chest, making him stumble back. Brave, in response, quickly pressed the B button on the Sword, turning the blade to an Ice blade.

 **KO-CHING!**

Then, with one swish of his cape, Brave summoned a dozen sharp ice crystals. He then extended out his hand to launch the crystals at Chronos. The crystals collided with a concrete pillar, collapsing it to dust. Chronos dodged them and pressed both buttons on his BugVisor.

 _ **PAUSE…**_

 _Everything became frozen in time again. Chronos looked forward, and saw Brave still in his stance. Chronos silently stood up, and began to walk towards Brave, with several pieces of debris crumbling as he moved past them._

" _You are also my company's valued products." He said. "I'd rather avoid damaging you, but…"_

 _He then landed a back punch on Brave's back, followed by a kick that sent him flying. However, as the Pause was still in effect, Brave was just suspended in the air. He stood still in the air next to the debris. Chronos then pressed both buttons on his BugVisor again._

 _ **RESTART.**_

Time resumed, and Brave finally received the full brunt of the blow from Chronos's attacks. He was forced out of his transformation.

 **GASHUNN!**

Hiro fell on his front as his Gashat bounced away from him, along with several pieces of debris. Chronos approached him slowly.

"GENM Corp is a legitimate company. As such, you will be compensated." He assured. "After all, I don't plan on having you work for free."

He then pulled out something incredibly surprising. He had, in his hand, a Proto-Gashat. And not just any Proto-Gashat, specifically the Drago Knight Hunter Z Proto-Gashat.

"That Proto-Gashat…!" Hiro spluttered, surprised by the Proto-Gashat's appearance. "Why do you have that?"

Chronos chuckled quietly. He then proceeded to explain the terms of Hiro's employment.

Later, Emu and Poppy had escorted the Ride-Player to the hospital. The patient was lying in bed as Emu had just finished scanning him.

"We have to defeat Salty to cure your game disease." Emu explained. "We already have dispatched several players to do just that."

However, the patient wasn't having any of it. He slowly stood up to go out. Emu tried to stop him, but the patient just shoved him away. Poppy tried to help, but the patient simply grabbed his Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat from her. He then proceeded out. Despite Emu's insistence on making him stay in the hospital, the patient carried his aching body out.

With the patient gone, Emu and Poppy sulkily returned to Hiro's office.

"Why isn't the Ministry cracking down on Kamen Rider Chronicle?" Emu asked.

"As long as the lives of the people who have vanished are at stake, they're not able to further sanction it." Poppy replied.

They both sighed as they walked into Hiro's office. There, Taiga and Nico were silently sitting on one of the chairs, while Taiga treating some of Hiro's minor wounds.

"Hiro!" Poppy exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Dan Masamune got him." Taiga replied, who had just floated over.

Just then, Dan Kuroto pixelated into one of the free chairs nearby, interested to hear what was going on. Taiga finished up his treatment for Hiro, and then spoke.

"So…" He started. "What do you want to talk about?"

Hiro then gathered his hands into a fold, and began to speak.

"Dan Masamune is the one that took the Proto-Gashats from the Ministry." He stated.

Everyone became wide-eyed at that. Dan Masamune had the Proto-Gashats just increased the chances of the Ministry not being able to do anything about the game just increased by tenfold.

"The Proto-Gashats contain data of the people that vanished, right?" Poppy asked.

"In other words…" Kuroto chimed in. "The lives that can be continued on are in my father's hands?"

"What should we do?" Nico asked.

Everyone silently contemplated on their next move. However, Emu spoke up pretty loudly.

"We have no choice but to speak to him directly." He said.

Everyone quickly turned their heads to Emu, surprised by what he suggested. With that said, Emu quickly departed to the GENM Corp building, with Poppy flying behind him.

Later, the two were in GENM Corp building, but in one of the break spaces in the room. It was complete with a couch, some chairs, a display TV with some keyboards attached to it. There was also a small coffee table, with some cups and a pot of coffee on it. To top it all off, there was even a grand piano next to that small coffee table. Emu and Poppy sat quietly on the chairs, while Masamune played the piano, playing a soothing tune.

"Welcome, friends…" He said. "You are also my company's valued products. I would much like to build a relationship of mutual trust."

"Sorry for the intrusion, sir." Emu responded politely. "But could you return the Proto-Gashats?"

"They were my company's creations from the beginning." Masamune replied. "I have no obligation to hand them back to you."

"Just what are you trying to do…?" Poppy whispered.

Then, playing an incorrect key on the piano, Masamune face Emu and Poppy.

"To sell Kamen Rider Chronicle across the globe…" Masamune answered. "And making GENM Corporation the number one game developer in the world."

"The world…?" Poppy muttered.

Emu slowly stood up from his seat. He was getting angrier by the minute.

"To sell the world this death game?" He seethed. "I can't accept that."

"Just how a doctor would answer." Masamune said. "However, there is no need to worry."

Masamune stood up from the piano and slowly walked his way over to the display screen, which had a small keyboard and a Gashat port on the side.

"What do you mean?" Poppy asked.

"Decreasing the playerbase was never our true intention." Masamune explained. "Thus, I will keep the Bugsters in check to make sure that players won't be infected with game disease or disappear."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Rider Chronicle Gashat. He inserted it to the Gashat port behind the keyboard.

"Using this Rider Chronicle Master Gashat." He then finished.

Emu and Poppy watched as Masamune typed in several codes on the keyboard. The display screen turned on, showing the Bugster roster of Kamen Rider Chronicle. However, Salty's portrait was flashing red.

Back in the GENM Corp basement, Pallad had picked up an apple from the fruit basket. His hand was shaking like a lead in a hurricane. The other Bugsters were just a few feet away from him, but paid no mind to him.

"Salty…" Salty asked. "Pallad, do we have some kind of plan?"

"What's going on with me…?" Pallad muttered. "My heart… is trmbling…"

He held his hand to stop the shaking, but the shaking didn't stop. But then, Salty suddenly felt as if he was on fire, then he began to pixelate orange. He threw his body around, trying to free himself from the pain. But, in a flash, Salty disappeared into nothingness. Pallad and Graphite stood up in alarm.

"Salty?" Graphite spluttered. "What happened?"

Pallad, horrified by what he just saw, dropped the apple he was holding. And he quivered visibly this time.

"It's Chronos!" He cried, with fear in his voice. "He's… killing us Bugsters off one by one!"

Back in Masamune's break space, Emu and Poppy just saw Salty's portrait fade to a black square. They didn't know what exactly happened, but they got the gist of it.

"As I said before…" Masamune said coldly. "I am your god. Thus… I will judge all of your fates."

"The patient should be cured of his game disease." He added, taking a seat. "Whether Salty could also be brought back or stays dead also depends on my judgement."

Emu clenched a fist, and turned to shoot a glare at Masamune, who seems nonchalant about this whole situation.

"How dare you…" He muttered. "Take lives with the press of a button…"

"You have no right to talk about my company's policies." Masamune rpelied.

Emu slammed his hands down on the table, making a loud crash sound.

"Then I'll stop you by force!" He shouted. "I will end Kamen Rider Chronicle!"

Masamune was very intrigued by that declaration. But with that said, Emu was done. He grabbed his jacket and stormed off, with Poppy quietly flying behind him. Masamune also had something he had to do, so he also left.

Meanwhile, out in the streets, all of the SAO players have been following the patient. But when they saw that he was cured, they just quietly began to make their way back to the hospital.

"What do you think happened to him?" Rika asked.

"Well, he got cured, that's one thing." Ryotarou suggested.

"Let's just get back." Kazuto said. "We might get answers there."

They slowly picked up their pace and turned a corner, walking into a park. However, when they entered, they saw Chronos sitting on one of the benches.

"I've been waiting for you." He stated.

Chronos stood up and faced the SAO players. In response, the SAO players turned to their Ordinal Scale forms and raised their Gashats.

"Please, please, I'm not here to cause trouble." Chronos assured. "I just wish… for a chat."

Klein didn't respond to that. He just pressed his Gashats.

 **BAKUSOU BIKE!**

 **GIRIGIRI CHAMBARA!**

He pressed them one more time, and transformed into his new body.

 **BAKUSOU! DOKUSOU! GEKISOU! BOUSOU! BAKUSOU BIKE! A GACCHA! GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! CHAMBARA!**

Klein gained the yellow attire and the samurai armor. With the Sparrows in hand, he charged.

"Say your prayers!" He shouted.

Klein jumped, spinning around. As the Sparrows dived down towards him, Chronos sighed, and he just simply pressed both buttons on his BugVisor.

 _ **PAUSE…**_

 _Time slowed to a crawl once more. Klein was in mid swing, but he just froze with the Sparrow only a few inches away from his neck._

" _Now then…" He muttered._

 _First, he kicked Klein off of him. Klein floated for a bit, before he was suspended in midair with the Sparrows beside him. He then made his way over to the others._

 _ **RESTART.**_

Klein finally got out of suspended animation and flung right into a tree, with the Sparrows landing just a few inches away from him.

"Ow…" He muttered. "I'll get you for that!"

Klein quickly got back up, but he saw that Chronos is gone. He looked around to see if he was around, but something else surprised him.

"Hey, where's Kirito?" He asked.

The girls only just noticed that Kirito was nowhere to be seen. They looked around, but no trace of Kirito was seen.

"Kirito!" Asuna called out. "Where are you?"

"You think Chronos got him?" Lis asked.

"Doubt it." Sinon replied. "He calls us his company's 'valuable products'. If anything, Kirito is worth more than all of us combined."

Yui quietly popped out of Asuna's pocket, worried just as much as her mother was.

"Mommy, where's Daddy?" She asked. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know, Yui…" Asuna replied. "I don't know…"

Speaking of Kirito, he was transported to another location. He realized that he was in some kind of abandoned construction site. He looked around, and found Chronos standing behind him.

"What kind of sick joke are you playing?" He asked.

"Sword Art Online…" Chronos began, stretching out his hand. "I would like to employ you. To keep you Survivors in check."

"And what makes you think I'll just go along with it?" Kirito replied with a frown.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Gashat. He pressed it, activating the Game Area.

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

"Henshin." He said, pressing the Gashat one more time.

 **D-D-DRAGO! KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

The dragon formed onto Kirito, giving him the tough armor and weapons.

"I already made Taddle Fantasy a similar deal…" Chronos added. "If you consider my terms, we could come to an agreement."

Kirito didn't reply. He just raised his arms, and charged. He swung his sword arm around, but Chronos simply deflected the attacks and dodging. Kirito then raised his gun arm and fired several shots. Chronos rolled aside, and quickly pressed both buttons on the BugVisor.

 _ **PAUSE…**_

 _The blasts that Kirito shot out stopped in mid air, along with Kirito, who now stood motionlessly. Chronos stood up, and calmly walked over to him._

" _Children who do not listen… must be disciplined." He stated, stopping behind Kirito's back._

 _He shot his leg back, landing a kick. Then, he twirled around and landed a palm strike on the same spot. Kirito shot forward, towards the laser blasts he just fired. Luckily for Chronos, Kirito became suspended again when he was in front of the blasts. He pressed both buttons on his BugVisor again._

 _ **RESTART.**_

Time resumed again, and Kirito was hit all of the blasts that he fired. Kirito fell on the ground, with the dragon armor disappearing. Kirito grunted from the pain as Chronos stepped forward.

"You are just like how Akihiko Kayaba described you." He admitted. "Tenacious, daring, brave… but equivalently naïve."

"Wait… Akihiko Kayaba?" Kirito spluttered. "How do you know him?"

"I have many connections." Chronos replied. "And they prove to be quite useful."

He reached into his belt, and pulled out a blank Gashat. There was no boxart, and it looked like it's game still hasn't been decided.

"What… is that Gashat?" Kirito asked, struggling up.

Chronos chuckled slightly, and activated the Gashat. First, nothing happened. Then, some kind of whirring sound was heard, followed by a message that Kirito knew all too well.

 _Merry Christmas, Kirito._

Kirito froze at the voice. He knew who it was.

'Sa… Sachi?!' He thought.

 _By the time you hear this, I'll probably be dead._

However, Chronos cut the message off from there. He then kneeled down to Kirito.

"Of course, she doesn't have to be so." He said evilly. "You will be compensated… should you choose to work for me."

Kirito didn't know what to say. So much emotion that he had surpressed from that moment so long ago burst out within him. However, he didn't have time to answer, as Chronos simply picked him up and dropped him off in front of the hospital, using the power of Pause.

Kirito pondered on what to do, but he was quickly found Asuna. She welcomed in back, and quickly escorted him inside. She said there was something important for them to hear.

Poppy and Emu had now just finished telling everyone that was present inside Hiro's office. The only ones not present were Taiga and Nico.

"Kamen Rider Chronicle… to the entire world?!" Kuroto spluttered.

"If that happens, CR won't be enough to handle it!" Keiko cried.

"Mou, pipepopanic-!" Poppy cried, spinning around.

Everyone took that news in quietly. They quickly spoke to themselves, while Kuroto had a fit about it.

"Unforgiveable…!" He growled. "How dare… how dare he use my game to collect more profit!"

"Then we have to stop him." Emu replied.

Poppy quickly began to fly over to him, but Kazuto had a question. He had to swat her out of the way, but Emu caught her.

"Is there any way we could defeat Chronos?" He asked.

"There is no way!" Kuroto replied almost instantaneously.

Everyone was surprised. Especially the SAO players. They had faced tough opponents, such as the Floor 100 Boss in Sword Art Oline during the whole Ordinal Scale debacle, but they were able to defeat it in the end.

"What do you mean, no way?" Ryotarou asked, getting up from his seat.

"Chronos was meant to be a legendary power bestowed upon a player!" Kuroto explained, getting frustrated by the moment. "So, I never really imagined a way for that power to be beaten!"

Then, Hiro chimed in. He put his hand on Emu's shoulder, turning him around.

"Then what about the intern's reprogramming?" He asked.

"As long as Chronos has Pause, we won't be able to land a single hit on him!" Kuroto replied.

At the mention of the word Pause, Emu suddenly had a thought.

"A pause is something a player uses to temporarily stop a game, right?" He wondered. "That means Chronos is the only one that can move."

"Wait, only?" He stopped.

He repeated the word "only" several times, getting Kuroto's attention. Then, the two began to yelp, having thought up something. They yelped for a bit, catching everyone's attention.

"There's a way to beat him!" Emu shouted.

"Of course!" Kuroto agreed. "A Genius Gamer indeed!"

"What, what is it?" Poppy asked. "I have no idea what you geniuses are talking about!"

"Explain." Hiro replied bluntly.

Kuroto, collecting himself again, went to his cool façade again.

"There is a slight chance…" He admitted. "But there is a way we could beat Chronos."

And with that said, Kuroto and Emu explained their plans to the gang. They were pretty impressed by it, and agreed to carry it out as soon as possible.

A little while later, Hiro walked down a hallway. On his way, he met Shino and Emu, and Poppy.

"Hiro." Emu smiled. "We'll definitely get the Proto-Gashats back."

"Who would've thought a lost life could be brought back?" Hiro admitted, laughing a bit. "No doctor would accept it."

"But… don't you want to see Yuko again?" Poppy asked.

Hiro hesitated to answer that. He just put his hands in his pocket and bit his lip.

"Tell you what, we're not sure if we're doing the right thing either." Shino spoke up. "But-"

"If doing this returns your smile…" Emu finished for her. "I'll support you."

"Yeah, what he said." Shino smiled.

"Me too!" Poppy added.

And, on that note, the three ran out of the hospital. Hiro watched on, as they disappeared through the door. He breathed in heavily, and breathed out. He then proceeded out after them.

Cutting to a street, a black car drove down the road. In the backseat was Dan Masamune, seemingly coming back from somewhere. He was also on the phone.

"Interested?" He smiled. "Very well. I shall arrange a meeting with your company to discuss the export of Kamen Rider Chronicle."

"I will inform you of the date and time later." He said, disconnecting the call.

However, once the call was over, the car slammed on its brakes, stopping with the tires screeching. Masamune looked to his chauffeur.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

He looked out the windshield, and got wide-eyed. Standing in front of the car, completely nonchalantly, was his son, Dan Kuroto. He shot a glare that said everything he needed to say.

A few moments later, the scene changed to some kind of shipyard, where several ferrys are docked. Kuroto stood a few feet away from Masamune, who was looking out to the oceans.

"For the son to come back and visit, there is no greater joy for a father." Masamune said longingly.

"'Father'?" Kuroto questioned. "You said that my talents were nothing more than one of your products."

"You're no father of mine!" He finished.

Masamune acted heartbroken, and faced his son with a gentle face.

"My love for you has not changed, son." He responded kindly. "Why do you think I took the fall for Zero Day?"

"Enough of your bald-faced lies!" Kuroto shot back. "You've been doing nothing but exploit me for 16 years!"

Masamune realized that he couldn't keep up this charade anymore. So, he chuckled and quickly turned his act 180.

"So, you realized…" He admitted. "Yes. I merely took the blame to give you time to complete _my_ Kamen Rider Chronicle… Dangerous Zombie."

Kuroto slowly began to tremble, putting on his Gamer Driver in the process.

"I was the one who developed Kamen Rider Chronicle!" He ordered. "Stop the sales immediately!"

"I refuse." Masamune replied bluntly.

Kuroto knew that words weren't going to work. So, he pulled out his two Gashats and activated them.

 **MIGHTY ACTION X!**

 **DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

"Grade X-0!" He shouted. "Henshin!"

He inserted both Gashats into the Driver and opened it.

 **MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N! X!**

 **A GACCHA!**

 **DANGER! DANGER! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!**

Kuroto transformed into Kamen Rider Genmu Zombie Gamer, and lurched his body forward. He swayed slowly back and forth, much like a zombie. Masamune sighed pitifully.

"You were always nothing but trouble…" He admitted silently.

He pulled out his BugVisor II and put it on around his waist.

 **GACHANN…**

He pressed the A button to start the standby music. He reached into his shirt pocket to grab his Rider Chronicle Gashat. He activated it, and inserted it into the BugVisor.

 **KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…**

 **GASHATTO…**

He then pressed the button underneath the Gashat port, beginning the sequence.

 **BUCKLE UP…**

 **TEN WO TSUKAME RIDER! KIZAME CHRONICLE! IMA KOSO TOKI WA KIMAWARERI…!**

Masamune then turned into the menacing figure of Kamen Rider Chronos. He then charged at Genmu.

Genmu flew in the air and rolled onto one of the docks. Chronos slowly walked over to him. Genmu slammed his fists on the ground and pulled out the Gashacon Breaker. He swung the hammer around, but Chronos dodged the mad swings easily. He then just grabbed Genmu and tossed him aside again. Genmu, though, continued to randomly attacked.

Meanwhile, behind some shipping containers, Emu, Hiro, and Poppy were watching. Not only them, but Asuna, Kirito, Lisbeth, Silica, and even Sinon were there as well.

"I really hope this works…!" Poppy said worriedly.

"It will." Emu assured, clenching the Maximum Mighty X Gashat he held in his hand. "Trust us."

They weren't the only ones there. Graphite and Pallad were watching from above, on top of a shipping container. They were paying attention mostly to Chronos, but had noticed the Riders watching the fight as well.

"What are they doing?" Graphite asked.

He didn't get a response. Pallad was still quivering in fear. Graphite was getting tired of this. So, he picked up Pallad by his collar.

"Hey." He said seriously. "How much longer are you going to cry over Lovelica's death?"

"Enjoying the battle against humanity and Ex-Aid…" Graphite explained. "I thought that is what you wanted!"

Pallad looked over to Emu, still scared.

"Emu…" He muttered.

"As long as Chronos exists, you can't settle your score against him." Graphite stated.

Speaking of Chronos, he continued to toy with Genmu. Genmu stumbled back with his back against a wall. Chronos took the Breaker from his hands and slashed him again several times. He then kicked him backwards.

"What's the matter?" Genmu teased. "Not using Pause?"

"I have no need for it." Chronos replied calmly.

He threw the Breaker away, and just attached his BugVisor II to his wrist in its chainsaw configuration.

 **GACHANN…**

He then hacked away at Genmu's body again. He had noticed that Genmu wasn't trying to fight back, but he only assumed that it was thanks to his abilities. With that in mind, he continued to slash away at Genmu's body.

"Are words all you have?" Chronos taunted as he kicked Genmu on the side of his head.

To finish it off, Chronos slammed his chainsaw down the side of Genmu's torso. Genmu finally was done. He groaned as he turned around as he stared down Chronos. His HP bar disappeared as he cancelled out of his transformation and dissipated in purple pixels.

Chronos waited for him to return with a Continue, but nothing happened. The Riders and the SAO players were fine, but the Bugsters were surprised.

"Why isn't Genmu using a Continue?" Grpahite asked. "Could he have been permanently killed?"

Pallad looked out as well, and tried to deduve what was going on.

"No." He said.

Chronos then looked around in front of him.

"Hm…" He muttered. "Is this…?"

That was the signal, Emu, Hiro, Asuna, Sinon, and Kirito all ran out to him. Lis, and Silica stayed behind with Poppy.

"Guys, back me up!" Emu called out.

"You got it!" Asuna replied.

Chronos turned around and saw the gang run up to him. The doctors put on their Gamer Drivers, and together with the players, they activated their Gashats.

 **MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!**

 **TADDLE FANTASY!**

 **TADDLE QUEST!**

 **BANG BANG SHOOTING! JET COMBAT!**

 **DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

"Oh…" Chronos responded. "It is you lot."

"Proceeding to Level 50!" Hiro announced.

"Max Dai…" Emu started.

The SAO players as well, after activating their Gashats, all shouted together with Hiro and Emu.

"Henshin!" They all shouted.

 **DUAL GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN! DUAL UP!**

 **MAXIMUM GASHATTO!**

 **GACHANN LEVEL MAX!**

 **TADORU, MEGURU! RPG! TADDLE FANTASY!**

 **SAIDAI KYU NO POWERFUL BODY! MAXIMUM POWER! X!**

 **TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!**

 **BANGBABANG! BABANGBANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING! A GACCHA! JET! JET! IN THE SKY! JET! JET! JET COMBAT!**

 **D-D-DRAGO KNI-KNI-KNI-KNI~GHT! DRA! DRA! DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z!**

Everyone transformed into their respective Rider forms, and as soon as they were done, Ex-Aid pressed the button on the side of the Driver.

 **STAGE SELECT!**

The docks soon changed to some kind of quarry, with some torches as decoration. The Riders held their weapons firmly and stared down at Chronos.

"A surprise attack, hm?" He asked.

The Riders didn't respond, as they just charged at him. Ex-Aid and Brave both swished their swords, but Chronos dodged them effortlessly. Then, Asuna and Kirito dropped in from above, jabbing their swords out as well. Chronos grabbed the blades, and just tossed them aside. That gave Sinon an opening to fire her machine guns. Chronos took the impact, as it did send him back. No considerable damage was done. If anything, the bullets just grazed him.

Chronos skidded on the dirt ground, eventually coming to a stop. He flicked his arms aside, putting them to his sides. Ex-Aid closed up his Driver to land his finisher.

 **GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!**

Brave twirled his sword around and charged in with Asuna. Sinon and Kirito both followed after the three.

"Try as you might…" Chronos sneered.

He stood firmly and pressed both buttons on his BugVisor.

 _ **PAUSE…**_

 _Everything came to a crawl one more time. The torches that were aflame halted. The running bodies of Brave and Asuna stopped a few feet away, along with Kirito and Sinon. Ex-Aid froze from where he stood._

" _I would most like to avoid damaging you…" Chronos muttered as he stepped forward. "But general wear and tear is unavoidable."_

 _Just as he moved in, the screen of his BugVisor changed to that of Dan Kuroto._

" _You fell for it!" He cackled._

 _Chronos looked down in surprise._

" _K-Kuroto?" He asked._

" _ **SHIN DAN KUROTO DA!**_ _" Kuroto bellowed again._

 _Then, a stream of orange pixels flew out of the BugVisor and materialized to Kuroto, now holding down Chronos in his current spot._

" _How are you able to move?" Chronos questioned, trying to get free of his son's grasp._

" _Pause immobilizes everybody exceot Chronos!" Kuroto explained. "Which means it didn't affect me when I hid inside your BugVisor II!"_

 _And with that, Kuroto slammed the buttons on the BugVisor._

 _ **RESTART.**_

Time resumed, and everything came to. Brave, Asuna, Kirito and Sinon stumbled with the time resume. Ex-Aid didn't have that much of an issue, as he just stood still. But they were greeted by the figure of Kuroto holding down Chronos.

"Ex-Aid! Now's your chance!" He shouted. "Reprogram his antibody!"

"Right!" Ex-Aid responded, opening up his Driver.

 **GACHANN!**

 **MAXIMUM CRITICAL BREAK!**

Ex-Aid then jumped into the air and descended down towards Chronos. He built up power as he came down.

However, something completely shocking happened. Brave grabbed Asuna by her arm, and then tossed her right into Ex-Aid's path. The two collided, with Ex-Aid luckily not landing his kick on Asuna. The two fell down a nearby ledge, landing hard on the ground.

"What?" Kuroto spluttered.

The surprise wasn't over. Kirito raised his arm and fired his gun arm. The blast knocked Kuroto off of Chronos and made Kuroto fall down, next to Ex-Aid. Sino just stood there, frozen with shock. Poppy, Lis, and Silica were horrified by this revelation, as well as Taiga and Nico, who just walked in.

"Hiro? Kirito?" Lis stuttered. "What…?"

The two silent took places on either side of Chronos.

"Are you okay, sir?" Brave asked.

"I'm fine, thanks to the both of you." Chronos replied delightfully.

Kirito ignored the comment and stared down at Asuna, Ex-Aid, and Kuroto.

"Kirito!" Asuna cried. "Why?!"

"Hiro!" Ex-Aid shouted. "What are you doing?!"

"Why would you two join forces with them?" Kuroto questioned, getting up.

Chronos chuckled and looked down at her.

"I hired him to keep you Kamen Riders in check." He explained, extending gestures to both Brave and Kirito. "And he will do the same, only with you SAO Survivors."

Everyone froze in shock. Two of their powerful allies, are now in the clutches of their greatest enemy.

"Dangerous Zombie." Chronos called out. "You may be game creator, but you are now being the stands above all."

"By remunerating work done and winning the hearts of people, you gain a following." He went on. "That… is how a company is formed and run. "

And with that said, Chronos reattached his BugVisor in its chainsaw mode and pressed the A button twice.

 **KIMEWAZA…**

 **CRITICAL SACRIFICE!**

Chronos them summoned an energy wheel from the chainsaw, and then shot it down towards the three. Sinon reacted in time to go in. She quickly flew in the way of the attack, unfortunately receiving the full blow. She was forced out of her transformation and fell on the ground, covered in bruises. The impact of the attack seemed to have knocked her out as well. Ex-Aid reverted back to Emu, and Asuna cancelled out of her transformation, and the two tried to help Sinon.

"Taddle Fantasy and Sword Art Online are now my right-hand men." Chronos declared.

Then, he patted both Kirito and Brave's shoulders, ominously saying, "Good job…"

And on that note, Chronos left the scene, with Kirito and Brave slowly going after him. Then, as the sun set, Hiro and Kazuto walked off towards the unknown, as they have crossed a line they only stepped on initially. They did not look back as Masamune has secured their aid.

The heroes were left in the dust, now appearing to have to fight someone who used to be friends.


	42. NOTICE

A HEADS UP TO PEOPLE WHO ARE GETTING WORRIED ABOUT THIS FIC.

Don't worry everybody. This Fic is still alive and kicking. It's just that my focus on writing has turned to the My Hero Academia fics I'm working on now. Please, stay with me here. The next chapters are still in the works, but the aforementioned My Hero Academia fics have begun to take up most of the time. I'm sorry, but the spark for this Fic has slightly diminished. Sorry.

But rest assured, future chapters are coming!


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